Help with Hickory Nuts

[KrisP]

Help! I have a bountiful supply of hickory nuts this year in our yard. I love the flavor, but have never been able to remove them from the shell without completely destroying them!! Can anyone help me out?
Thanks
Kris, Defiance, Ohio

[cuteascountry_Shortcake]

Hi KrisP,

Perhaps you might find this a bit helpful...

forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/edible/msg081155509577.html

Good luck!

-Shortcake

[KrisP]

Thanks for the link, it was very helpfull!!
Kris

[cuteascountry_Shortcake]

Hi Kris,

I'm glad you found the link helpful.

You didn't seem to be looking for any information about nut crackers so I didn't include some of the information I found about the various recommended nut crackers available.
Just in case you are curious here are some links:

www.nutgrowers.org/QA/nutcrackers.htm


The "Mr. Hickory" Nut Cracker
Link to information about Fred Blankenship
www.nuttrees.net/cracker.html
www.icserv.com/nnga/experts.htm#HICKORY

and from:
www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id77/id77.htm
There are a number of nut crackers on the market. The following nut crackers are ones that have been tested and recommended by W. C. Donoho, a member of the Kentucky Nut Growers Association, who has an extensive collection of nut crackers.
When nuts are incompletely cracked, a pair of wire snips with the tips ground down to a narrow point are helpful in snipping away portions of the shell to obtain larger nutmeat pieces.

Texas Native Inertia Nutcracker - This cracker does a good job on pecans, English walnuts and hazelnuts. It obtains its power from rubber bands and the nuts are cracked by relaying impact through the force of inertia. It produces primarily whole kernel halves. Around $25.00
Bill Price
P.O. Box 305
Bunn, NC 27508
Get Crackin' Nutcracker - This is a good fast cracker for many nut types including Brazil nuts. It does not do well on black walnuts or very hard shelled nuts. This cracker does not need to be adjusted for nut size. Around $30.00
Creative Designs
Box 156
Goodman, MO 64843
Wileys Nut Grove Cracker - This is a good all purpose cracker. The Large cracking post works well for large nuts and the smaller one works well for small nuts. The long handle provides considerable leverage for cracking hard shelled nuts. Around $50.00
Wileys Nut Grove
1116 Hickory Lane
Mansfield, OH 44905
Hunt Black Walnut Cracker - One of the best black walnut, butternut and hickory nut crackers. It operates smoothly and allows very precise nut cracking, because the piston moves only 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch. It is not easy to complete the cracking of uncracked portions of a nut, but nuts rarely need to be recracked if the cracker is adjusted properly. Around $45.00
Hunt's Black Walnut Cracker
Lawrence Hunt
Box 3
Hartford, IA 50118
Potter Walnut Cracker - This cracker was invented in the 1930's and is very well built and sturdy. It does a good job on all nuts (Figure___). The Potter Walnut Cracker adjusts quickly to the nut size and the indentations on the top of the jaws work very well to crack small hickory nuts and nuts that need additional cracking. Priced in the $40.00 to $80.00 range depending on model.
Potter Walnut Cracker Co.
Box 930
Sapulpa, OK 74066