Recipe: Pickled Walnuts

PICKLED WALNUTS. Thanks to my Grannie for this recipe :-)

Ingredients:

• Soft green walnuts,
• Brine, using 100g salt for each litre of water.
• Spiced vinegar (to get a good result, to every litre of cider vinegar add 5 - 10g of whole spices such as cloves, allspice, cinnamon, white peppercorns, ginger).

Bruise the spices lightly under a cloth to release their flavour.

For a quick method of spicing the vinegar put it in a heatproof

bowl, add the spices and cover with a plate. Stand the bowl in a

saucepan of cold water, bring gently to the boil and remove from

heat. Leave for 2 hours, do not move the plate or the flavour will

be lost.

For the walnuts : use walnuts whose shells have not begun to form.

Prick well with a stainless fork. If the shell can be felt, do not use.

The shell begins to form opposite the stalk, about 5 mm from the end.

Cover with the brine and leave to soak for about 6 days.

Drain, make fresh brine, and leave to soak for another 7 days.

Drain and spread on a single layer of clean newspaper,

leaving them exposed to the air, preferably in sunshine, until

they blacken (1 – 2 days).

Pack into prepared jars and cover with hot spiced vinegar.

Put on vinegar-proof covers when cold,

LEAVE FOR AT LEAST A MONTH BEFORE USING.

Note : to prevent stained hands, always wear gloves when

handling walnuts .