How To Make Pickled Green Walnuts (2024)

Published: Jul 3, 2022 · Modified: Nov 17, 2022 by Chef Tripti · This post may contain affiliate links

Admittedly, not the first thing to come to mind when thinking of pickled foods, so if you have never tried pickled walnuts, give this pickled walnut recipe a go. Pickled green walnuts are an English pickle dating back to the 18th century. I still remember trying them for the first time in a posh English hotel I once worked in and loving the taste. I am Indian and love my pickles and sour things, and this took me back to my childhood days when I would eat dried date pickles, which in India we call chuara churan.

This pickled walnuts recipe is easy to follow. Traditionally pickled walnuts are eaten with sharp cheddar, or with roasts and game; however, I find them equally delicious on toast with vegan cheese, in pies, pasties and even in my burgers.

Pickled green walnuts are sour/tangy, like solid Worcestershire sauce. It's probably England's best-kept secret!

Continuing the pickling theme, check out my quick and easy method for pickled red onions and pickled green wild plums.

How Do I Identify A Walnut Tree?

A mature walnut tree can grow up to 35m high. They have a short trunk with a broad, expansive canopy.

A common way to identify a tree is by its leaves. Each leaf of the walnut tree has between five and nine leaflets. The leaflets are shaped like a feather and paired along the leaf stem. A single leaflet terminates the stem. Crushed walnut leaves have a distinct, citrus-like smell.

We want to harvest the fruit for pickled walnuts before the hard nut shell starts to form. Late June, Early July is the time for this. In autumn, the nut case opens and exposes the walnut, which falls to the ground.

You can see if you have caught them before the nutshell hardens by cutting through one of them. If you can cut it in half, it is suitable for pickling, and you can carry on gathering the unripe walnuts.

Of course, you can enjoy the walnuts when they have fully matured. The nuts themselves will be ready to harvest around October.

Ingredients For Pickled Walnuts

• Unripe green walnuts
• Coarse sea salt
• Malt vinegar

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

First, find a walnut tree to harvest the unripe, green walnuts. Do this in late June or early July.

Wash and pat dry the walnuts.

With a fork, stab the walnuts all over.

Add the water and coarse sea salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the salt has dissolved, please remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.

See Also

Cooking with Green WalnutsGreen Walnuts: Safety, Nutrition Facts and How To Use Them - Holy Peas10 Benefits Of Green Walnuts That You Need To Stop Ignoring | PlantBasedFAQs.com | Learn About Plant-Based FoodsForaging Green Walnuts (& Green Walnut Recipes)

Tightly pack the pricked walnuts into a sterilised jar. Pack tight enough so that the walnuts do not float in the brine.

Pour the brine (salt water) into the jar to cover all walnuts completely. Secure the jar lid and store it in a cool, dark place for eight days.

After eight days, drain the brine-soaked walnuts and place them on a tray. Put the walnuts outside in the sun all day. Turn them from time to time, so they darken evenly.

After a day in the sun, the brine-soaked walnuts will have darkened in colour.

In a saucepan, add the malt vinegar and castor sugar. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, set it aside to cool. Tightly pack the darkened walnuts into a sterilised jar and pour in this pickling liquor once it has cooled down.

Seal the jar and place it in a cool, dark place for one month. Label the jar so that you know when the pickled walnuts are ready.

How-To Video

Here is a video guide to making the pickled walnuts recipe.

Substitutions

This pickled walnuts recipe uses malt vinegar specifically for the earthy flavour it gives; however, you can replace it with cider vinegar.

Variations

This recipe for pickling walnuts is simple. However, you can add another layer of flavour by adding a choice of spices to the pickling liquor. Perhaps try black pepper or allspice and even ginger.

Equipment

You will need a large glass jar for pickling. The jar size will depend on how large the walnuts are and how many you would like to pickle.

Storage

If you have adequately sterilised the jar, the pickles should be good for up to a year. To sterilise a jar, wash in warm soapy water and then place in an oven at 100ºC for thirty minutes. Make sure you use a clean, dry spoon each time you take out the pickled walnuts.

📖 Recipe

Food safety

In a professional kitchen, food hygiene and safety are top priorities, and from the beginning of my training, I practised good habits and routines. Of course, practising good food hygiene and safety at home is also essential. Here are some fundamental practices to adopt in the kitchen.

• Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
• Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
• If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
• Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
• Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
• Store food correctly.

For more details regarding food hygiene and safety in the home, visit the UK Government's Food Standards Agency webpage.