How to properly store walnuts - the optimal place in the apartment

If shelled walnuts are stored incorrectly, the product will be hopelessly spoiled. In this case, not only will the beneficial properties of the kernels disappear, but their taste will also deteriorate. The storage problem is especially acute for those who grow one or more walnut trees. Kernels in the shell are stored longer, but even in this case certain rules must be followed.

How to properly store nuts in an apartment

There are several ways to store walnuts in a residential area. When choosing a specific method, take into account whether the hard shell is preserved. The shell protects the nucleolus from exposure to light, temperature changes, moisture penetration, and absorption of foreign odors. However, peeling nuts is a difficult and time-consuming process.

It is for this reason that many people purchase peeled kernels, which will require special storage conditions in the future. In addition, we can say that nuts without shells should not be bought at spontaneous markets or near a busy highway. In such places, the air is polluted, and the kernels can absorb some of the harmful substances from it.

In a shell

High-quality inshell nuts can be stored for months at home, but this will require some preparation. The product must be dried for several days at room temperature. To do this, nuts in one layer. You can dry them on any horizontal surface.

It is advisable to cover the floor with film, cloth or paper. Drying in the apartment should last 5-6 days. Periodically turn the nuts over to dry evenly. After drying is completed, the product is placed in glass jars or poured into fabric bags.

You should not use the balcony for storage. In an unheated room, the humidity level is too high, which can lead to mold and rotting kernels. You shouldn't put a bag of nuts near the battery either. High temperatures will cause excessive drying of the nucleoli.

Peeled

The nuts must first be dried in the oven at low temperature (55-60° C). When the product has cooled, it is packaged in tin or glass jars, tightly closed with lids and stored in a dark place. At room temperature, the workpiece will be stored for 3 weeks.

For long-term storage, it is best to freeze peeled kernels. The conditions in the freezer are such that the nuts do not lose their properties throughout the year. The product must be defrosted gradually by transferring it from the freezer to the refrigerator for 24 hours. After this, the kernels will taste the same as fresh ones.

The most optimal conditions and storage locations

The shelf life of walnuts directly depends on the conditions. The prepared product is best preserved at temperatures up to +10° C and humidity no more than 60%. In this case, the nuts should not be exposed to sunlight. Under the protection of the shell, the nucleoli will remain in suitable conditions for a year or even more.

If there are a lot of nuts, they can be packed in wooden boxes or cardboard boxes, then lowered into the basement. The cellar is also suitable for storage if it is dry and the temperature there does not drop below -5° C.At room temperature, nuts in the shell can last for six months or more. From time to time you need to open a couple of nuts and taste them. The kernels should not have a bitter taste or musty smell.

Cracked nuts are more capricious in this regard. They need to be properly prepared and then packaged in suitable containers. In the future, everything will depend on the created conditions. For example, kernels packed in a jar with a lid can be stored in the pantry for 21 days. A closed closet or nightstand may be a suitable storage location. When crushed, nuts can be stored for no more than 2-3 days. The darkening of the film covering the kernels will indicate that the process of deterioration has begun.

Methods for extending shelf life

In order for nuts to be stored for a long time, conventional drying under natural conditions is not enough. In addition, the workpiece can last many times longer if it is frozen.

Sorting

Pre-sorting will help extend the shelf life of any nuts. You need to sort nuts regardless of whether they are purchased or collected yourself:

1. All copies must be the same color. A darker shade of the shell may indicate that part of last year’s harvest, which has already been spoiled, was mixed into the product.
2. When purchasing peeled nuts, you should choose whole halves; sellers also use crumbs to disguise spoiled goods. If a heterogeneous mixture is purchased, it is sorted to select only large particles for storage.
3. If the nuts were harvested yourself, branches, leaves and other debris are selected from them.
4. The cleaned kernels are freed from the remaining partitions.
5. There should be no traces of mold or damage on the nuts.

Sorting is important because it makes it possible to protect the bulk of the product stored for storage from spoilage. For example, a single moldy nut can quickly infect neighboring specimens with fungus.

Calcination

For long-term storage, drying alone will not be enough. It is better to additionally roast the nuts. For processing, the oven is preheated to a temperature of 100° C. After the nuts in shell are placed in the oven, the temperature is reduced to 50° C. Calcination time is 1 hour.

Cleaned kernels are calcined at a temperature of 80-90° C for a quarter of an hour. There is no need to grease the baking sheet with oil. This procedure will quickly rid the nuts of excess moisture, pathogenic bacteria, and pest larvae. In winter, moths often appear in a product that has not been subjected to heat treatment. Before storing, the kernels must cool to room temperature.

Nuts prepared in this way can be stored for several months if they are packaged in an airtight container and stored in a cool, dark, dry place. You can use a plastic container or glass jar as a container.

Freezing

Freezing walnuts is quite acceptable, but the kernels still lose some of their beneficial substances. It is better to use this method for preparing a product for subsequent use in cooking. After freezing, walnuts are added to sauces, cereals, confectionery, and baked goods.

To make it convenient to use the product, it is packaged in small portions weighing up to 300 g. The packaging must be sealed - this will protect against foreign odors. The product can be placed in plastic bags with a zipper, plastic containers, or wrapped in foil.It is important to consider that kernels cannot be re-frozen.

Questions on the topic

Those who are faced with storing walnuts for the winter for the first time usually have many questions. The product is expensive, so you want to have a guarantee of its safety during the winter months. Proponents of proper nutrition are concerned about whether nuts lose their beneficial properties over time. Below you can find answers on this topic.

Can walnuts be stored in the refrigerator?

The refrigerator is not in vain used to store food. The reduced temperature stops the processes of spoilage of any dishes and preparations. Walnuts are no exception in this case. Of course, you should not store shelled kernels in the refrigerator. This method is only suitable for peeled kernels.

A product deprived of natural protection may go rancid at room temperature, and not everyone has a basement or cellar. A refrigerator is quite suitable storage in such a situation.

The shelf life of the product at a temperature of +4-8° C increases several times. The package of nuts should not be closed immediately after placing it in the refrigerator, otherwise condensation will form inside. The bag is left slightly open overnight and then sealed tightly. The same goes for a plastic container.

Do I need to wash walnuts?

Of course, the product initially contains dust particles. There are also various debris in the nuts, but despite this, it is not recommended to wash them. Otherwise, longer drying time will be required.

Simply sort through the nuts, removing any foreign matter. Washing increases the risk of mold and rot. This rule applies not only to walnuts, but also to any others.

Do nuts lose nutrients over time?

The answer to this question largely depends on the chosen storage method. Kernels, deprived of a hard shell, gradually oxidize and lose some of their benefits. Freezing also reduces the amount of valuable substances, although to a small extent.

At the same time, nuts still remain a useful product that allows you to compensate for the deficiency of minerals, vitamins, and biologically active components. But the kernels in the shell do not lose their properties for 3 years. It hardly makes sense to store this product longer than the specified period; usually the nuts are consumed before the new harvest is harvested.

Can green nuts be stored?

It is not recommended to collect walnuts ahead of time, when they are in the green shell. At this time, the shell has not yet fully matured; in the future, it will not be able to provide the kernels with protection from exposure to sunlight and oxygen. A crop that is not fully ripened also contains fewer nutrients and vitamins. It's better to wait until the green shell falls off.

Like any other product, walnuts require suitable storage conditions. Kernels covered in shell will store best. You can store peeled nuts for a long time only in the freezer. Crushed kernels have the shortest shelf life; at room temperature they will last no longer than 3-4 days.