Nocino and Vin de Noix: Making Green Walnut Liqueur

I had the most unexpected lucky windfall last week. For several years I've followed the adventures of other cooks who were lucky enough to get their hands on green walnuts, and who parlayed their good fortune into sweet, spicy, delicious green walnut liqueur. Yes, green walnuts are good for more than feeding squirrels and littering sidewalks; they also transform inexpensive liquor into an apparently transcendent liqueur. I wished that I could get my hands on some green walnuts, but until last week I didn't realize that I had an enormous walnut tree of my own in the alley behind the house.

Black walnut trees are actually quite common throughout much of the United States, especially in the Midwest. They are easily spread by squirrels who bury their nuts and then forget about them. We had one well-grown sapling butting up against the house, about to get tangled in power lines, and my husband and father-in-law cut it down last weekend. That was when I realized (of course!) that other big tree? Behind the compost pile and in the alley? That's a black walnut tree too! It's an enormous tree; I can't believe I didn't notice that it was indeed a black walnut until now!

But surely the nuts won't be green anymore, I thought. They come into their brief season in May in California, and mid-June in Italy and France. They will be hard and bitter by now.

But no! When we shook down a few golf-ball-sized nuts, green and scented like powerful herbs, they were still young and ripe. Their insides were pale and white, with a thick green coating outside. I couldn't believe my luck!

We pruned the tree (it needed it) and shook down over 6 pounds of unripe nuts. I'm sure there were pounds and pounds still in the tree. We'll leave them for the squirrels, since for now I have what I want: 11 quarts of liqueuer and vin de noix steeping in a cool, dark spot. I used both of Lucy Vanel's recipes from her wonderful site, My Kitchen Notebook:

• Vin de Noix - with recipes for a strong liqueur made with vodka and vermouth, and another version with white wine and vodka

Have you ever made (or tasted) a liqueur made with green walnuts? What did you think?

Related: Vin de Noix and Nocino - Kathryn's experience with green walnut wine

(Images: Faith Durand)

I just started a batch of nocino myself, using foraged unripe black walnuts: see my post on it here.

I can't believe how inky my batch has already gotten!

- Amelia of Gradually Greener

posted by GreenCayennes on July 14th 2009 at 2:24pm
view GreenCayennes's profile

I've never had the liquor, but in Russia, they have these delicious preserves made out of green walnuts and sugar. They are delicious, and I've heard someone accurately describe them as having "nutmeggy" overtones. I can't find the exact brand that I like online, but here's one that looks good: https://www.mastercaviar.com/caviar/harvest-song-fresh-walnut-preserve-18.9-oz..html

And that site has the brilliant rec of serving it with stilton or another strong blue cheese, which I handn't thought of yet!

posted by lotusmoss on July 14th 2009 at 2:25pm
view lotusmoss's profile

There is a huge black walnut in my neighbor's yard. It was just trimmed, but hopefully I can gather enough for this.

posted by ValHalla on July 14th 2009 at 2:25pm
view ValHalla's profile

Oh, my goodness, that sounds delicious! Now to find a black walnut tree....

http://www.abreadaday.com

posted by eprewitt on July 14th 2009 at 5:10pm
view eprewitt's profile

Whoa cool. Will keep my eye out for ingredients around town to try this.

posted by kmarie on July 14th 2009 at 7:36pm
view kmarie's profile

I have never seen such a thing. We have two huge black walnut trees, and my parents have some, too. We never actually eat the walnuts, though, because they're a PAIN to shell. (I believe a time-honored method involves driving over them with your car.)

Love the Mason jars, too.

posted by Confabulation on July 14th 2009 at 9:42pm
view Confabulation's profile

Never thought to make it. We have a huge walnut tree in our yard, but the squirrels and crows usually get the ripe ones. I always thought the husks were poisonous like the leaves. I'll have to try this, as they're just about the right size. A friend of mine's Hungarian mother says they used to go pick green walnuts and pickle them, but I always assumed that she took the husks off first, which seemed like it would be a difficult task. Maybe they took the same approach?

posted by janice m on July 16th 2009 at 2:24pm
view janice m's profile

Curious to hear how yours turns out. I tried my hand with a variant of David Lebovitz's recipe (via Simply Recipes). Here's my write-up:

http://www.salmoncabin.com/2009/07/sorry-squirrels.html

Looking forward to tasting the results!

posted by Salmon Cabin on July 27th 2009 at 11:31pm
view Salmon Cabin's profile

I just made nocino for the first time myself. I'd never heard of it before last fall, and now people are writing about it all over.

I live in Corvallis OR, and picked the walnuts around July 8th, which was too early I think. So, just last weekend I picked a second batch - which were more ripe, but the shell hadn't really hardened yet. Am hoping it's as wonderful as everyone says.

If it turns out this year, I'll try black walnuts next year.

posted by Trey Jackson on July 31st 2009 at 4:46pm
view Trey Jackson's profile

Ozark black walnuts are a delicacy, and during walnut season buyers set up in town to weigh and pay you for the harvest you pick up off the ground. It's a win-win situation-- you get the ankle-spraining things off the lawn, and they get the walnuts.

Last year, we gave the honor of harvesting our yard to an unemployed couple who was hauling load after load of wanuts to the dealers to make some money.

This year, I may try cashing in myself-- but next spring, I'll be trying this in hopes of some wonderful Christmas gifts. Thanks for the tip, Faith!

posted by fuzzy on August 24th 2009 at 9:04am
view fuzzy's profile

Thank you, your account has been registered.

We have sent an email to the address you registered with for verification purposes. Please use the link in the verification email to activate your account.

apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time