Does anyone know how to prepare and roast Hickory nuts to be cracked? My husband and I have a Hickory tree that has dropped an abundance of nuts into our driveway. We have collected a bunch of them, and have taken the outer husks off. Now to crack the nuts, it is a real challenge.
They are very hard, yet just springy enough to resist being cracked open. Apply enough force to open the shell, and it shatters into uneven pieces. The nut meats are sweet, but take a lot of effort to pry out of the crevices of the shell.
To make a long story short, can I roast/dry them in the oven or in a pan, to make the shells drier, and more brittle for cracking? Does anyone know how it's done? Will roasting make the nuts shrink?
As a young girl we used my dad's vise grip to crack them. We never roasted them, just ate them raw! YUMMY How lucky you are to have this tree. I have many fond memories of going with my dad to pick up nuts.
I recently learned the hard way that the pointed end should be slit or knicked with a knife to let out steam or the shells will explode in the oven and you have nutmeat bits to clean off the sides of your oven.
Our neighbor taught me to do them. We bake them @ 200 degrees for 2 hours. If you do them too long they dry out. This has worked for us...hope it helps you too! Blessings!
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