Nocino - green walnut liqueur

[Junie D]

Last night I picked a green walnut from a tree around the block and remembered that I had been wanting to learn more about nocino. Googled it and found it is traditionally started on June 24th in honor of San Giovanni. As usual a day late..... Anyone made it? I've never tasted nocino so would appreciate detailed description of flavor, color, etc. before I raid the tree.

[rabaja]

Nocino is hard to describe, delicious but hard to put into words how so. I've tried a couple different recipes and my favourite so far starts with vodka and aromatics (juniper, spices, etc.), which are later filtered out and a small ratio of red wine is added. This then sits for quite a while; between the green walnuts and the juniper you need to give it a while to mellow, like a year. Really, some recipes will say less time is needed but, if you taste it in six months and it's akin to lighter fluid, keep waiting. The transformation will come, and you'll have something very unique and hard to find done well in this country. Where do you live? Zuni in San Francisco has a nice one on their dessert wine list. Let me know if you need help finding a more exact recipe. I googled to find mine, and then came up with a combo recipe.

[Junie D]

There seem to be (at least) two variations, one involving red wine, one not. And the spices vary considerably. Would you be willing to share your recipe? Well, I live in Napa so I can and will make the pilgrimage to Zuni, or JV.

[rainey]

The stuff with red wine is the French version called vin de noix. The stuff made with grain alcohol and/or vodka is the Italian nocino.

I made both this year. I think I prefer the vin de noix but the nocino from a year ago is starting to get good.

[Junie D]

Yes, I'm finding the nocino is best after AT LEAST a year, maybe two.

[Curmudgeon]

My recipe comes from a friend in a town near Parma's mother. I've made it seven or eight years. I published it in my newsletter The Curmudgeon's Home Companion in 1998. It adjusts for the fact that we can only get 50% alcohol (100 proof) and they are getting about 98% alcohol by reducing the amount of local fizzy wine. However I feel in California green walnuts at the end of May are closer to right because sometimes by June 24 the shell under the skin is aready hardening.

Nocino della Nonna Emilia

25 green walnuts, about the size of home-grown apricots, according to Nonna Emilia
3 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
peel of 1 lemon (yellow part only; the white pith is too bitter)
1.25 liter of vodka, 100 proof
3 cups sugar
1⁄4 liter of cheap sparkling wine (I used Tott’s)
1. Soak the walnuts overnight to draw out any worms and other impurities.
2. Quarter them and put them into a large jar with all other ingredients. Place in a sunny spot, sealed, for at least 40 days; 2 months is better. Shake every few days.
3. Strain and bottle the liquid. Let it sit for another month or two, minimum. At that point it’s drinkable, but if you can, put a few bottles away to age. After two or three years it really becomes something special.
Note: Thrifty Italians make a second, less potent liqueur by adding 2 cups of alcohol, a cup of sugar, and a bottle of cheap sparkling wine to the solids you filter out of the nocino. Let the mixture stand another couple of months, shaking occasionally. Drink unceremoniously.

[Junie D]

Many thanks. I missed the recipe as I have only been a subscriber/president of your fan club since 2000 or 2001. I think I have to try it because I can't wait till next May, can't resist Nonna Emilia, could cut through the shell of my experimental walnut easily with a paring knife. Plus I have a $5 bottle of drinkable cava in the fridge.

[Curmudgeon]

Thanks, I'm waiting for my fans to reproduce themselves. I do know that some people put a juniper branch in the jar, but Nonna Emilia didn't. I like the flavor a lot, but sweet liquors are not too popular right now. When I moved I lost my easy access to green walnuts, but I think I have enough bottled to last me a long time. The best way to describe this is that it has the aroma of Christmas.

[Junie D]

One child here - I'll have to work on other people's kids. Started the nocino last night. My fingertips are brown from cutting the walnuts and I am already shocked by the intense green of the liquid. The smell of the walnuts I would describe as 'green' like pine but much more subtle. They smelled good. So I can see why you say nocino has the aroma of Christmas, especially with the cinnamon, lemon and cloves.

The sides of walnut quarters floating above the liquid are turning black. Inevitable? Also, will it grow mold sitting in the sun for weeks? I'm betting the alcohol will prevent that but there is a lot of sugar and I once made this moldy raspberry-infused liqueur....

[JMF]

I am searching my Westchester, NY neighborhood for walnut trees. I really want to try making nocino.

I wonder if the aging in the sun idea is necessary or even very good? Personally I would age it cool and dark, and let it age much longer to slowly develop the flavors.

The reasoning is probably to provide warmth to so the alcohol extracts more flavor faster. BUT, in general, light and heat definitely deteriorate flavors, and colors can be bleached. I have seen and tasted bottles of vibrantly colored liqueurs that sat in the sun of a window display at a wine shop for one-two weeks be completely bleached pale or creamy white and get a nasty flavor. I assume this is from UV degradation and enzyme reactions.

I did some recipe searches on nocino and there were just as many that said to age it in a dark place, and some said cool and others warm.

Almost all the recipes I have ever seen for other liqueurs and cordials say to keep in a cool, dark place. Dark to prevent UV effects, and cool to slow down flavor absorption, because higher temps can cause off and bitter flavors.

I wonder what the flavor difference would be if you split a batch in half and did one in a dark, room temp place vs. the warm, sunlit place? UV bleaching doesn't seem to be much of an issue since the liqueur is very dark, maybe it would have more color to it besides looking like used motor oil?

I do know that commercial nocino makers age it in cool, dark, places in oak barrels for four to six months before filtering and then age it another six to eight months to slowly develop the flavors. After at least a total of one year aging it is then bottled.

[Curmudgeon]

Sorry, I was working on the newsletter. The nocino will all turn a dark brown eventually. It sometimes gets yellower first. Seems like magic. Shake it up occasionally--like once a week. I really have come to love that smell of the green walnuts.
No, I meant reproduce in terms of recruit more subscribers.
BTW I have about 50 recipes from my grandparents 3 liqueur distilleries before WWII. So if you ever need a recipe for Enzian (Edelweiss Liqueur) or something very odd let me know. Most of them are 95% alcohol wich has aromatic roots or whatever sit in it for 24 hours.

[ShawnChiotti]

Hello,
I have an excess of 95% alcohol and free time. I would love to tryout some of your grandparents' recipes. Where were their distilleries located?
Thank you,
Shawn

[Robert Lauriston]

That sparkling wine is pretty eccentric. Italian recipes usually include only walnuts, pure alcohol (Everclear), sugar, lemon zest, cloves, sometimes other spices, and water.

[scenicrec]

David Lebovitz has a simple formula for nocino in his book Room for Dessert, as well as a great-sounding recipe for nocino custard.

Sorry- too lazy to type it!

[rootlesscosmo]

There's a thread on Nocino at the Home Cooking board. It's probably too late for this year but Jim Haag at

www.Walnuts.US

sold me ten pounds of green walnuts which are steeping in 4.5 liters of 100-proof Smirnoff. They've been there for 5 weeks; come Friday I'll pour off the liquid and add flavorings. My recipe calls for cinnamon, 20 coffee beans (!), and 750 ml. of red wine reduced with sugar to make a syrup; the mixture gets another 3 weeks' aging after adding these. So in about 4 weeks I'll either have 5 liters (more or less) of yummy Nocino, or something I can use to kill trout in the Sacramento River... nah, just kidding.

[babette feasts]

I'm in Seattle, and the nuts on our tree are small apricot sized, but I just cut into one, and the nut hasn't formed yet, just a clear liquid where the nut will be, and no hard shell forming yet. Should I wait until these are a little more mature to make the liqueur? What is the optimal stage of walnut development?

Thanks.

[rootlesscosmo]

Hm. The ones I got from Haag were about the size and color of limes and were firm all the way through. You could email him for information--I don't know about the actual growth process.

[Junie D]

June 24th approaches - anyone making nocino this year?

[joshekg]

I got my walnuts from Jim Haag 2 weeks ago and I have some nocino and vin de noix in process right now.

[Junie D]

Great! Willing to share your recipes?

[joshekg]

For the nocino far I just have 2.5 lbs of split green walnuts sitting with about 2 liters of everclear (153 proof - highest available in CA). At some point I will add in some spices; cloves, cinnamon and vanilla seem to be common additions, I am not sure how much/which I will add yet. I plan on adding some more everclear to the jars, I just happened to run out and haven't made it to the store to get more.

For the vin de noix I have 3 liters of red wine (was $5 a bottle at whole foods) mixed with 2.5 lbs of split green walnuts. I plan on adding another 4 liters of wine to this, I just didn't have a big enough jar when I first started. Again I will add some spices at a later point to this and will also fortify/sweeten it much later.

Sorry if the recipes are a bit vague at this point, but I haven't decided on the spicing for either yet.

[Junie D]

Thanks. Have you made these before and how did they turn out? I ask because I made nocino for the first time last year and am not sure I love it. It reminds me of Coca-Cola. But I haven't tried it in a few months, so we'll see.

If you want guidance on the nocino spicing, Curmudgeon's Nocino Della Nonna Emilia is above in this thread.

[Junie D]

Just like to revive this thread every year. The walnuts are green. Is anyone making nocino? The stuff I made in 06 is now mellowed and pretty good, but only pretty good - I still think it tastes like Coke. The main draw for me is doing the same thing on the same day each year.

[momoe]

Junie,

My first foray into Nocino was on Santa Cruz Island (Channel Is Natl Park) in 1995. A researcher from UCSB and his grad student were swapping a shot glass (sipping) and alternating with mint M&Ms (amazing combination). He has been making this recipe for decades and I tried my first batch with home-grown walnuts in LA back in '97.

This year, I finally ordered 5 lbs from Jim Haag (now live in NYC) and I got them macerating this past weekend.

Here is his recipe:
30 walnuts (quartered)
4.5 C 180-proof (I used 200-proof) grain alcohol
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean
3 cloves
zest of 1 lemon
rind (without pith) of 1 orange

-usual 30+ days of maceration, add simple syrup (3.5 C to 2 C H2O)
-steep another 15-30 d, decant, store in dark bottles

You can always try a different recipe each year on Festa di San Giovanni Battista

[Junie D]

THANKS for posting your recipe and stories. How do you drink it - when you aren't drinking it with mint M&Ms?

[Junie D]

It is that time of year again. Any nocino plans? My 2007 nocino just now tastes pretty good to me. Maybe it had to age that long.

[OllieG]

Hey Junie
You're not alone. This year a friend and I made limoncello as practice for Nocino. That was good practice for us and we've started our Nocino making.

(We're finding the late June walnuts are a little too far along, but we're still going ahead with our Nocino making plans.) Between the two of us we're trying three recipes, all using vodka as the base alcohol and ascribing to the "maceration it in the sun" school. More news in 40 days...

[watercress]

Can Nocino be made using Black Walnuts (green ones), or must they be English Walnuts? Lots of Black Walnuts around here.

[OllieG]

I don't know what's different about the walnuts or if Black walnuts can be used. What I find interesting is that the green walnuts turn black as ink within a day in the Nocino jar. If I were you I'd try it out and see what happens.

[bouckap]

I am making some in Pays Gex, in the French countryside just across from Geneva. We have tons of walnut trees growing wild here, so it was just a matter of going for a walk in the neighborhood. 55 walnuts, 3 liters of pure grain spirits, 2 lemon peels, 20grams cinnamon, 10 grams cloves, 10 grams juniper berries, 750 grams sugar, in a fermenting bottle. Looking good so far.

[OllieG]

Juniper berry! That's cool. Did you have a recipe using the berry or is that your own customization?
My main jar just has the alcohol and walnuts. The recipe I'm following for that one never has the walnuts in the jar at the same time as the spices and sugar.

[Aristippos]

Hello Green Walnut Lovers!

I have an idea which may interest some of you, especially those who find themselves in the middle of making the 2009 Green Walnut Wine, be it Vin de Noix, Ratafía or Nocino, the 3 most common traditions of making this aperitiv.

Here is what i have in mind:

The world and the process of making things is a world in itself. It has an inner life and an outer life. The inner one is the satisfaction of being creative. The outer one is simply the joy of sharing the idea or letting others enjoy the endproduct.

There is a special and subtle process currently starting all over the world. Some in the italian manner, some french style. It is the process of making green walnut wine, Vin de Noix or Nocino. The matter here is much less a decision in which direction to go, but the experience, the time taken and needed to see the results, as well as the joy of drinking it at the end for months unend... until the next June comes.

I wish to invite individuals from different parts of the world to join me in forming a small place, where some could place all they wish about their making of Green Walnut Wine, while others could drop by and read and see about what we are doing. The principal aspects of this project is sharing information, sharing pictures and sharing knowledge, perhaps even sharing joy in the end.

So herewith i invite you to join and post in my blog. Needless to say, this blog will connect to any participants blog, especially if they have some green walnut information themselves.

please drop by:
www.greenwalnut.wordpress.com

and if interested, please feel free to contact me.

cheers
Aristippos, the coffee dramatist

[CarrieWas218]

Yet another revival of this thread. I acquired 12 pounds of green walnuts this morning and am making both Nocino and Vin de Noir.

For the Nocino, I used four bottles of Everclear, two cups simple syrup, a small handful of star anise, two vanilla beans, and lemon zest.

I'm off to the store now for the Vin de Noir ingredients but I am planning on using cheap red wine, a bottle of brandy, cinnamon sticks, and orange rind.

[Junie D]

Yay - thanks for reviving this! I have my eye on a walnut tree down the street but given the cold, wet spring am going to wait a couple more weeks and start the nocino closer to June 24. My notes to myself over the last few years have been "when it comes to spices in the nocino, less is more."

[CarrieWas218]

Junie - you might want to grab one of those and cut it open; last year, I waited and it ended up that the shells were starting to form. I literally had to put them in a large bag and hack them open with a hammer because cutting them was impossible. Better safe then sorry!

[lissak2]

I just put up my first batch of Vin de Noix . . . I am soo excited! I used the William Rubel recipe and both recipes from Lucy's Kitchen Notebook. I'll report back on which was best. Anyone else making wine or nocino ths year?

[OllieG]

Yes! me too. I've started a couple of batches of Nocino.
In San Francisco Alfieri (www.alfierifarms.com) is selling green walnuts at the Saturday and Tuesday Embarcadero farmer's market as well as Civic Center's Wednesday market.

In the recipe I follow, the walnuts macerate without any spices. (Filtering of the walnuts and addition of the spices occurs in August.) I also used vodka & sugar instead of everclear and simple syrup - I so hate that everclear smell. Though I hadn't made nocino previous to last year I'd say this worked fairly well for me. (Here's the recpe a friend was making that I followed: http://imacerate.wintersbite.com//blo...)

[CarrieWas218]

I got my walnuts from Alfieri as well. But, a word of warning, if you want to do this GET THERE EARLY. I had a call into them about the walnuts and they were really good about returning my call; sure enough, just minutes before I arrived at the Wednesday market (at about 9:00 a.m.!), someone came in and got a full 60 POUNDS! All that was left was one box which I bought all of.

Also, most of the BevMos in town are running out of Everclear. So funny that they when I went to buy several bottles, they didn't know why there was a sudden run and most of the sales were to chefs or "little old ladies."
:0)

[OllieG]

60 pounds! Did they drive up with a truck!? That must have been who they confused me with when I went there to pick up my meager pre-ordered box. "Don't you want the rest?" they had asked me.

[OllieG]

Notes to future self: Walnuts purchased at market today are very wet inside, frequently gushing a drop when cut with the cutting board overflowing before finishing a batch.

[OllieG]

Carrie. last year I purchased my walnuts nearer the end of June. By the time August came around the proto-Nocino aroma was enticing. This year it doesn't seem inviting at all. As a fellow "early shopper" this year, do you think the proto-Nocino smells about right?

[CarrieWas218]

My Everclear-based Nocino smells really strong and I have a feeling it is going to take longer to age. My schedule straining and bottling date is about two weeks from now and I'm wondering if I should let it macerate longer.

My Vin de Noir (made with wine and brandy), on the other hand, smells quite smooth and accessible and I have a feeling it will be drinkable far sooner.

[jerryc123]

I plan on starting my second batch of nocino sometime this month.

Last year's batch is still aging in the cellar.
I've been monitoring it's progress, but it is still overwhelmingly strong and bitter. I've read as time passes, the nocino mellows, but I haven't noticed much of a change over a year. I may need to go back and add more simple syrup and let it age further.
For my first try, I used 30 walnuts, devil's springs 160 proof, 1 vanilla bean, one star anise, and half a cinnamon stick.

With this years batch, I will macrate all the ingredients separately for more control.

[CarrieWas218]

Jerry, I'm really surprised you are still getting bitterness. Is it completely strained and bottled? Its not still macerating with the fruit, is it?

[Junie D]

Hang in there, I think it takes 2 or 3 years for it to start tasting really mellow and good. I mean straining out the nuts/spices after 6 mo or so, then letting sit another year or two.

[OllieG]

If you can make heads or tails of molecular compounds this page states that 40% and 80% alcohols will extract different tastes from the walnuts

http://blog.khymos.org/2009/05/13/noc...

"The closest I came to some input regarding aroma was an article were 12 different phenolic compounds were analyzed in walnut extracts made with 40, 60 and 96% ethanol. Although the total phenolic content was highest when using 96% ethanol, they found that the concentration of some phenolics (protocatechuic, sinapic and p-coumaric acid) increased with the concentration of the ethanol used for extraction, whereas other phenolics (gallic, chlorogenic, vanillic and syringic acid, (+)-catechin, juglone) were best extracted with 40% ethanol. Polyphenolic compounds are normally bitter or astringent. The low molecular weight compounds are typically more bitter. With increasing molecular weight bitterness decreases whereas astringency generally increases. The solubility in water decreases with higher molecular weight. As I mentioned in a previous post on ethanol extractions this is the reason why 30-60% ethanol is most commonly used for infusions and extractions."

[jerryc123]

Yes, Carrie, the nocino is strained.
JunieD, thanks for re-assuring me that I can be more patient.

OllieG: thanks for that helpful link - that will make interesting reading and a good base for further research. I wonder if I am making a mistake by using 160 proof. Perhaps that is extracting more 'bitter' compounds, and masking the flavor. Most people are probably using 80 - 100 proof vodka.

[Junie D]

My only thought about Everclear vs vodka is that I used to make limoncello with Everclear and switched to vodka because I thought the Everclear limoncello was too harshly bitter. Whatever you like is the best choice!

[Carmenhikes]

Hi I am trying to start up my first batch of nocino and I was wondering about the size of the walnuts? A previous post says 'about the size of home grown apricots' but about how big is that? I live in Missouri so is the growing season different from that in CA for walnuts? I picked some today and the biggest are less than 1.5 inches long. Are they still useable? They are soft enough for me to cut them with my fingernails.

[CarrieWas218]

If you can cut them clean in half with a knife, then I would go ahead and use them. The ones we tend to get here in California might be a little larger; say 2" long, but if you wait too long, then you won't be able to cut them and the nut will start to form.

[mikelowie]

I'm making Nocino tonight, starting with 1liter (plus) of vodka, about 20 green walnuts (halved) and adding zest of 1.5 Eureka Lemons, 1/2 a star anise, about 10 cloves. I'll add a cinnamon and a vanilla bean tomorrow when my stash is returned.

My question is this - I'm thinking about adding either Black Cardamom (very smoky flavor) or Balinese Long Pepper (sort of a fruity/piney flavor). I thought they might add an interesting twist, but don't want to ruin my efforts. Any thoughts on either of these?

I used a more traditional recipe with some coffee beans added a couple of years ago (2007?) based partially on this thread and it was a little rough/sweet/coffee flavored the first year, but this year its fantastic and has completely blended together. I guess patience, or forgetting it in the back of the pantry, is rewarded.

[CarrieWas218]

I say go for it! I love the idea of Cardamom...

[SteveG]

You can always infuse the spices separately. When you strain out the walnuts in August, take a small mason jar of the proto nocino and add your spices. That will be your spice concentrate, and you can add it back to the rest after a month of infusing, to taste. I've been lazy with mine, and the cinnamon infusion is still in a separate jar a year later, but that seems to be how long it has taken for the main nocino to be drinkable enough that I can stomach repeated tastes as I add in the cinnamon infusion.

[CarrieWas218]

I opened mine last night to sniff. The Nocino -- spiced with Star Anise, Lemon, and Vanilla is the more alcoholic and smells mostly of the Everclear; sharp but round with the vanilla. The Vin de Noir -- spiced with orange and cinnamon is very predominant of the orange and cinnamon. I think both are going to be unctuous, but the Nocino is going to require a lot more aging time, I think.

[Vetter]

Hi all,

Would this work with fresh black walnuts? I live in hazelnut country, not walnut country, but I know there is one new upick farm around here that says they'll have black walnuts this fall.

[CarrieWas218]

I've never heard of anyone trying it. Why don't you do it and report back (although it will take a year to determine if it is a success, I suppose!)

[Clovergirl]

YES! I just saw someone is selling black walnut liqueur for a lot of money. Fall will be too late, though; the walnuts have to be green, in other words no hard shell inside. This year, because it was so cool, they weren't at the right stage until mid-July. The shells have to be just barely starting to form.

[seejeneat]

I'm gearing up to start on nocino & vin de noix tomorrow. I got my walnuts from Jim Haag as well.
Do we have to soak the nuts? Good lord, I didn't leave enough time for that!

[CarrieWas218]

I've never soaked the nuts - just hack 'em up and add alcohol! Some recipes have the sugar/water added at the beginning and some have it added after the long maceration period.

[Junie D]

I use Curmudgeon's recipe (above) which does call for soaking whole walnuts in water overnight before quartering them and putting in the vodka. Don't know if this is necessary, but it does clean off the dirt.

I LOVE how the nocino goes from neon yellow on day one, to chartreuse green on day two, to dark green to blackest black by about day six.

[Robert Lauriston]

I had this delicious nocino and was startled to find that its made in California: Nocino della Cristina from Monteverdi Spirits. Smells like rum-soaked fruitcake.

http://www.nocino.com/nocino.shtml

[SteveG]

Yep, you can buy it at K&L locally. NoPa has one that I liked but it was a different producer.

[opinionatedchef]

hello robert, this very product-N della Cristina- is the very reason I am reading this thread and wanting to try making some next yr,.though i will have to find an east coast (maybe PA) grower/vendor for the walnuts.That product is made in Napa and really amazing.but sooo expensive.

[ccrosson]

Green walnuts will be available soon from Local Harvest (localharvest.org). They are taking orders now to be shipped in June.

[lucykohi]

Actually, due to the late rain/snow in No. Cal., it's still not too late to get green walnuts, though the window is closing. I cut one of ours in half easily yesterday with a chef's knife. If someone wants any we have some -- not a lot, but some.

[peppino]

Are they the English (Persian) Walnuts or the Black (American) Walnuts? If they are English I'd love to pick some up (if you'r near San Francisco).

[lucykohi]

They're the English/Persian type, a couple different varieties. It might be easier if I shipped them to you, rather than you coming here from SF which is about 2 hours. E-mail me off thread (as obviously anyone can do on this topic) at [e-mail].

[cecig]

A neighbor here in the Delta ( east SF bay area) has beautiful green walnuts- still soft and easily split..... probably due to cooler temps this year. I put up a large jar a week ago and another jug tonight.

[OllieG]

Yes. This season seems pretty late. I picked green walnuts in Hollister during July 4th weekend and worried that they weren't ripe enough.

The Nocino started this month seems to be macerating just fine. This year I didn't cut the walnuts, just put them in the jar of vodka cleaned and whole.

I'm also being careful to not get air bubbles into the vodka by shaking. Last years batch tastes like it went bad and I blame it on overzealous mixing. (Last year's Nocino turned a brown color that looked "wrong". This years is really the darkest green you can imagine.)

[lucykohi]

Thanks for the advice about air bubbles. This is my first year making nocino, though we've lived here with these trees for nearly 11 yrs. If there's any other advice you haven't already posted on this thread, please let me know!

[OllieG]

I keep track of my Nocino making adventures here:
http://imacerate.wintersbite.com///bl...

Last year's isn't included as it wasn't palatable.

[peppino]

Nocino is supposed to be brown (almost black really). I use 151 grain alcohol here but in Italy they use 190 grain alcohol (illegal in CA). Maybe the vodka alcohol wasn't high enough and it went bad because of that?

[OllieG]

"Nocino is supposed to be brown (almost black really)". Yeah. I know. Just not THIS brown.
This guy shows how green the blackness should be, at least early on in the process.... http://blog.khymos.org/2009/05/13/noc...

It'll turn the browser color as air participates in the reaction.

[cecig]

There are plenty here, now- contact me at: [e-mail] if you want green walnuts for Nocino

[ccrosson]

We also have green walnuts still available. Contact me at [e-mail], or the walnuts can be purchased online at localharvest.org

[opinionatedchef]

i want to thank all of you reliable posters on this thread. this is all so fascinating to me, and your generosity in sharing recipes and details- are so helpful!. I'm in boston and next yr can hopefully start my first batch. I'm curious> i may end up with more walnuts that i can use for nocino etc; have youall ever tried pickling them and what do they taste like, with what texture? Hagg Farms' site has a recipe but no description. thanks much!

[lapelosa]

I found this thread after buying, on a whim, green walnut preserves from an ethnic store. Ingredients: green walnuts, sugar, citric acid, spices. I bet that if you end up with extra, you could try something similar: make a jam out of it.

This seems similar:

http://greekfood.about.com/od/traditi...

[opinionatedchef]

la, how thoughtful of you! i'm gonna do it! what are you liking your preserves with?

[lapelosa]

Well, right now I'm very frustrated by the lid -- I've been trying to open the jar since yesterday, with no luck. So, to try the preserves, I'm going to have to wait until I can ask for help.

That said, I'm a great lover of jam -- I was very tempted by the pistachio preserves and the orange blossom preserves on the same shelf, but made myself exercise self control and just buy one -- and I'm looking for other ways to eat jam other than just on toast. So I asked the store owner what's a good way to eat the green walnut preserves, and he said that you could just eat it with a spoon. Alternately, he suggested, you could eat it with feta -- the salty goes well with the sweet.

I want to get this damn jar opened!

[opinionatedchef]

have you tried banging the lid edge on a brick/concrete/heavy iron surface? or run under hot water a while?

[lapelosa]

Right after I made this comment, I finally ran hot water over the jar. Once it dried off and I could get a grip, voila, it popped right off. I felt silly.

I got feta cheese today. Am eager to try it later combined with the green walnut preserves.

[opinionatedchef]

that sounds like such a good combination!

[lapelosa]

Last night I finally had the green walnut preserves with fresh feta made by the woman I buy my milk from, and I can report that, indeed, the combination is absolutely fabulous! Mmm.