Questions and Answers – How To Dry Nuts
Question:
I have two pecan trees and the birds do let me keep some. My problem is that I don’t know what temperature or how long to leave them in the oven. Please advise. Thank you. – H.R.
Answer:
I hope the following information from the Michigan State University Extension will help you:
NUTS – DRYING
Michigan State University Extension Preserving Food Safely – 01600671 10/13/97
Spread nuts thinly on trays or screens and allow them to dry gradually from exposure to a gentle but steady air flow. A clean, cool, dry porch or attic is ideal. Nuts dried this way will not mold. Drying times varies with nut variety. Most varieties will need several weeks for proper drying.
All nuts except chestnuts contain a large amount of oil which prevents them from drying out completely. Because of their high water and carbohydrate content, chestnuts dry in 3 to 7 days. Drying for longer will cause chestnuts to become hard and inedible.
DRYNESS TEST:
Nutmeats of pecan, walnuts, filberts and hickory nuts should shake freely in their shells.
Nutmeats should be light-colored and break with a sharp snap when bent or bitten.
Taste should be light-flavored.
Note: Excessive drying will cause nut shell to crack.
ALTERNATIVE DRYING METHODS:
Small amounts of nuts in the shell can be dried in a furnace room or even on trays on a radiator providing the temperature do not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit will affect flavor and shorten storage life. Nuts will be dry in 24 to 48 hours.
Nuts in the shell can also be dried in a food dehydrator if the temperature can be adjusted low enough. Follow manufacturer’s directions. Unshelled nuts will dry in 8 to 10 hours in a food dehydrator.
Oven drying is not recommended for unshelled nuts as it is difficult to keep the temperature low enough and air circulation is poor.
Question:
Answer:
6 Responses to “How To Dry Nuts”
Robin Barron
The pecans fell off tree green laid them out to dry can I lay them out untill the shell starts to peel off? I opened one & the meat inside is soft (soggy? Almost) but fully formed is this because they aren’t dry or no good?
Linda Stradley
Some interesting articles on drying pecans:
http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66/pecan.pdf
http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/8005.pdf
https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-harvest-pecans-yourself-1388178
http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/health_food/nuts/pecans_harvesting_shelling_and_storage.html
kelly
Peel both the green shell and the brown hard shell off and let the pecan air dry. If not, the green shell will adhere to the brown and rot your pecan. Either way, if you do not remove both shells two things can happen: your pecan will rot inside because of the moisture or dry-up like paper inside the white/brown shell because it was not cracked open for air. Again, peel both shells and let the natural process do it’s work by letting the pecan air dry for a several days.
Charles Fitzgerald
Mid September17 th in Dallas good crop this year limbs touching the ground.Woot woot. Still have time after freeze.Just trying my best to have enough for holidays.
Tom Karon
first of all if you do not remove both shells two things can happen: your pecan will rot inside because of the moisture or dry-up like paper inside the white/brown shell because it was not cracked open for air.
THERESA HOLMES
I had picked shagbark hickory nuts & put them on a table outside to dry. The next day the shells were all split. Have never had this occur before? Thoughts?