Rebuild from Depression Blog

Walnuts are a great food. They are filled with minerals and are high in the Omega 3 fatty acid ALA found in plants that our bodies convert into the depression-fighting Omega 3 EPA. I use them for salad toppers and snacks liberally. (Read more about food and depression.)

Back in the day, my dad owned ten acres of these bad boys. That meant not only did my little girl hands crack too many walnuts (my lifetime quota in fact as I claim quite regularly), but we got to be that house on Halloween. You know what I mean.

We were the guys who filled your Trick-or-Treat bags with walnuts.

I remember a woman who lived down the street who closed her blinds and hid in her kitchen with the lights low to keep kids from knocking on her door. We would knock anyway. She would answer grumpily and scream, "Don't you see the lights are off?! Stop knocking at my door!"

I don't know why she went to all that trouble. All she needed to do was post a sign in her front yard, "I give walnuts for Halloween." That would have saved everyone some time.

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Sidebar on Halloween news: Halloween week has gotten creepy here at Hilltop House as we explore the "lost road" on our property -- a road that has not been trafficked for about 70 years. Read "Mama, I think this was a mistake..." You may also want to sign up for the raw milk e-mail list to hear tomorrow all about my raw milk Halloween costume.

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How to use walnuts besides putting them in Halloween bags

Mom offers a couple of suggestions on using walnuts (or visit the Walnut Marketing Board site for recipes):

Walnuts make fine topping for salads, creamed vegetables, stir fry, open-faced sandwiches, cooked cereals, some creamed soups, casseroles. The possibilities are endless. Once you begin using them this way, your creativity will kick in.

Instructions for roasted toppers
1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a cookie sheet.
3. Sprinkle four cups of walnuts on the sheet and roast for 30 minutes.
4. Pour the walnuts into a bowl, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of tamari and toss well.
5. Return walnut to the cookie sheet and roast for another 15 minutes. Note: If you put the tamari on at the beginning of the roasting time, it will burn before the nuts are roasted. Stir the nuts as soon as you remove the pan from the oven. If you wait, they may stir rather stubbornly.
6. Allow to cool before using. Store in a airtight container in a cool place.
7. These will keep for about two weeks in the pantry, for a few months in the frig…as if they would stay around that long! These flavored walnuts are a great snack to set out with cheese and fruit.

Raw roasted toppers (drying walnuts)
For a more nutrient-dense walnut, take another preparation step or two.
1. Soak raw walnuts in warm water solution. Soak for 12-24 hours.
2. Drain water.
3. Dry out nuts in warm spot – in oven with pilot light on, in a food dehydrator, or near a woodstove. Keep the temperature under 120° Fahrenheit and your nuts will maintain their enzymes. It will take at least 24 hours for the nuts to dry. Sometimes ours take two to three days.
4. When nuts are nearly dry, add the tamari or other spices as described above.

Experiment! Look around for recipes. You can flavor up any sort of nut or seed. As you develop your arsenal of roasted nuts, you’ll find yourself using them as travel food, lunch bag additions, the afternoon lift you need.

This Halloween post is part of Fight Back Friday.