Walnut is a valuable product that has not only a great taste, but also a unique composition of vitamins and minerals. Depending on the specific variety, it can contain 18-21 percent of protein, as well as 45-77 percent of fatty oil with unsaturated and saturated acids. You just need to know how to store walnuts in order not only to preserve the taste characteristics of this product, but also its benefits for the body.
Product description
Walnuts grow not only in southern latitudes, but also throughout Ukraine. Already in ancient times, the medicinal properties of the fruits of this tree, which are widely used in medicine, were known. Walnuts have pronounced anthelmintic properties, this product restores the stomach and contains a large amount of tannins, various trace elements and vitamins.
Walnuts are extremely high in calories, so you should know the measure when eating them. Winter is the time of vitamin deficiency, and this nut will help to cope with it. Pronounced anti-cancer properties have been established, therefore, including a small amount of this product in the diet, you can prevent the development of breast and prostate cancer. The microelements contained in this herb improve the growth of hair and nails, and are an excellent prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
You only need to take care of the proper storage of nuts, which are able to retain all their useful properties and wonderful delicate taste for a long time. You can harvest walnuts collected in the forest yourself or buy them in stores, and in the latter case, they will be sold both in the shell and already peeled.
Medicinal properties:
- strengthens immunity;
- improves brain function;
- has anticancer properties.
Doctors recommend eating at least four nuts a day, which helps to strengthen blood vessels and the heart. Most often, they buy small batches of this product, freeze them or fill them with honey, and then store them in a cold and dry place.
If it is necessary to preserve the taste characteristics of the harvested crop for a long time, then before putting them in the refrigerator, it will be necessary not only to sort and sort out the kernels, but also to use the right containers, storing such delicacies in a cold, dark place.
Recommendations for the selection of nuts
When choosing nuts in the store, you need to decide whether they will be peeled or in the shell. In the latter case, it is more difficult to choose nuts, because the contents are not visible behind the shell, but in the future it will be much easier to store such a product at home.
When choosing nuts, the following should be taken into account:
- cores should not have an unpleasant chemical odor;
- the shell should be chosen clean., without spots and darkening;
- if possible, you should try nuts to taste, which should not be bitter.
Also, when choosing nuts, you should pay attention to their color. It should be the same. It is preferable for long-term storage to buy whole, intact kernels, which will be perfectly protected from fungus. This kind of rot presents a certain problem, it often manifests itself in the form of a whitish coating and the appearance of a pronounced musty smell.
You can often find crushed nuts on sale, which, according to the seller, can be stored for many months. The only problem is that the quality of such a product and its suitability will be unknown to the buyer. It is quite possible that these are nuts from last year’s harvest, or they have been stored for a long time at a high temperature and have a bitter taste, therefore, even if they are prepared correctly, they will not last more than one month.
However, in the presence of a powerful coffee grinder or mixer, nothing prevents the hostess from grinding high-quality fresh kernels of the current year’s harvest at home and storing them. Such a crushed and peeled product in the refrigerator in an airtight, properly selected container will last for 5-6 months or more, preserving its delicate taste and numerous useful properties.
Basic information
Proper storage of walnuts in the apartment is not particularly difficult, you just need to provide the appropriate conditions, which will allow you to keep such a high-quality and tasty product for as long as possible.
First of all, it is necessary to ensure the correct temperature regime. The higher the temperature at which walnuts are stored, the faster they spoil, lose their taste, dry out and become covered with fungus.
Nuts that are stored must have ripe kernels. Otherwise, they quickly rot both peeled and in the shell, an unpleasant rotten smell appears, and in the future it becomes impossible to eat them.
If it is planned to store already peeled nuts, then they must be sorted, pieces of shell, bridges, low-quality, chopped and damaged fruits are removed. It is not recommended to mix this product with sugar, molasses, honey or various other ingredients, which significantly reduces the duration of storage.
You can often hear erroneous recommendations to necessarily dry the nuts that are stored in the oven or even fry them in a slightly heated pan. Any such heat treatment will invariably deteriorate the taste qualities, while the kernels are kept strong for several months, after which they quickly rot and become covered with a white coating.
It is not recommended to store peeled and shelled walnuts in plastic bags. This leads to a significant increase in humidity, which will be detrimental to this product, it quickly loses its taste properties.
Raw walnuts retain their taste and properties for the longest time when stored in the refrigerator. At the same time, thawed cores are no longer subject to further re-freezing. When storing this product in the refrigerator, it is extremely important to prevent foreign odors from entering the container, which can completely spoil the taste. In the low-temperature area of the refrigerator, in an airtight bag or small plastic container, nuts can be stored for up to one year.
The only thing that is allowed when preparing nuts for storage is soaking for 20 minutes in a weak salt solution. After that, the shell is washed under running water and dried for several hours in a slightly heated oven or near heating radiators. At the same time, in no case should you roast nuts or keep them in a room with a temperature of more than 40 degrees. It is no longer necessary to process this product.
Methods of storage
In each specific case, the option where it is better to store nuts will depend on how long such a product should be stored, retaining all its taste properties. If you plan to eat them within a month, you can put the kernels in a glass jar with a tight plastic lid and store them at room temperature. It is only necessary to remember that, after lying for several months in the heat or at room temperature, the nuts can turn rancid.
Mandatory conditions for long-term storage of walnuts are the following:
- low temperature without significant changes;
- almost complete absence of light;
- humidity indicators within normal limits;
- hermetically sealed, properly selected packaging.
If it is necessary to preserve the useful properties and taste characteristics of nuts for the longest possible time, the kernels should be placed in a metal or glass dish, which is located on the lower shelves of the refrigerator. In this case, you can keep this product fresh for 6-12 months. You will need airtight dishes made of food plastic, ceramics or glass.
Fresh walnuts can be stored for the longest time in boxes or in canvas bags at a temperature of minus 5 to plus 10 degrees. Accordingly, such a product can be stored for a long time in a freezer or in cold underground cellars. It is best to choose a room with minimal humidity for such storage. But bright light is contraindicated, as it leads to rapid drying and rotting of the kernels.
Homeowners often store a large harvest of harvested walnuts on a glazed balcony and loggia. This can only be the case if such a room has high-quality protection against precipitation and sudden temperature changes. Storage in the basement is allowed, but it must be a dry room, while in the basement, which is often flooded, the nuts will rot literally in a few weeks.
The main requirement for the container when storing walnuts in the shell is the absence of extraneous odors and its cleanliness. Cores can be placed in plastic or cardboard boxes and canvas bags, which are placed on racks and hung at a short distance from the floor.
Honey preparations
If you plan to store nuts for one or two months, you can make very tasty honey preparations from the cleaned kernels. High-quality honey is mixed with whole peeled nuts in a ratio of two to one. You can store this mass in a sterile container in the refrigerator for two to three months.
Ground walnut with honey is an extremely useful product that contains various trace elements and vitamins. It is recommended to eat at least 20-30 grams of this product every day in winter, which will strengthen the immune system, prevent the development of various viral and infectious diseases, and improve the functioning of the intestines, liver and other internal organs.