I Could Break An Ankle Out There

@fishtiger58 (29823)
Momence, Illinois
October 27, 2017 8:26am CST
We have a huge black walnut tree in our back yard. It stands well over our 2 story house and the last time I measured it, it was 89 inches around. It seems every other year we get a bumper crop. This year is the year for that. The squirrels go crazy for them. We have been seeing them all over our yard just getting fatter and fatter. I hear that they are selling for like 9 dollars a pound. Wow no kidding. I have tried to open them but it's next to impossible. I can get them open with a hammer but then the nut is pulverized. So that's a no go. I watch the squirrels open them and it's like simple, for them. They are a nut opening machine. It's pretty amazing how they do it. There are so many walnuts on our lawn that we can't even walk out there. So.....we gather them in 5 gallon buckets and take them to the woods near our home. So far my hubby figures we have collected between 300 and 400 pounds of walnuts this year. If I never pick up another walnut I could die in peace. I could break an ankle out there!!
16 people like this
12 responses
• United States
27 Oct 17
Wow 300 to 400 pounds certainly is a lot of walnuts. Too bad you can't sell them and make lots of money
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
27 Oct 17
We could buy a new car ok not quite but we could take a nice trip somewhere lol.
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
28 Oct 17
Oh my goodness! If you could stand the work- you should find a way to open them up and sell fresh walnuts somewhere- Oh well- they are also an incredible health food- with magnesium and they even can fight parasites! The squirrels will be Super-squirrels before long--ha!
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
30 Oct 17
@MarymargII Yea and get all those delicious walnuts.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
It says online that the only way to open them is if you are a squirrel apparently lol.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
30 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 Well how unfair is that- :/ Squirrels have all the fun!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (454958)
• Switzerland
27 Oct 17
That's a lot of black walnuts. We have many walnuts trees in the woods near our home, not black walnuts, the normal ones.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
I wonder if those are any easier to open than the black ones?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (454958)
• Switzerland
28 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 I think that the other nuts are easier to open than the black ones.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
@LadyDuck Ok I wish ours was not the black walnut, I would love to have those.
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
28 Oct 17
what a pity you can't sell them... still the animals in the woods will be pleased to eat them...
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
28 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 that's good of you to take the time and trouble to do it..
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
Yes we don't want to just throw them away, and so we make a huge pile in the woods, they get eaten every year we do this.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
30 Oct 17
@sueznewz2 It's better than throwing them away, and the woods are not that far down the road.
1 person likes this
@just4him (303392)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
27 Oct 17
That's a lot of walnuts! Stay safe. You don't need to break an ankle.
1 person likes this
@just4him (303392)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
28 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 That's a good thing.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
30 Oct 17
@just4him a really good thing, I get tired just thinking about going out there and picking them up lol.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
It's downright dangerous for us old folk. I think the tree is almost done dropping the walnuts, so my days of picking up walnuts is drawing to a close, for this year anyways lol.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Oct 17
I think it was Paints on Slate that never wants to see another walnut as well. That sounds a very big tree. It's good the squirrels are enjoying them.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
Eventually the tree has to come down as it's dying and hanging over our house.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 That's a shame but you don't want it coming down on the roof.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
29 Oct 17
@JudyEv I hate to cut a tree down, but I would hate my roof caved in even more
@m_audrey6788 (58487)
• Germany
27 Oct 17
Oh yes squirrels love them and I love to see them eating it
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
27 Oct 17
they are fun to watch.
1 person likes this
• Germany
27 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 Yes so true
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (168395)
• United States
27 Oct 17
Yeah, I tried to open one once, and even ran it over with the car..no dice..Maybe do a web search on how to open black walnuts!
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
I have, it says you have to be a squirrel lol.
@ricki_911 (21626)
• Toronto, Ontario
27 Oct 17
I use to have one of those. It ended up an italian man stopped and asked if he could have it. Of course i said yes take it.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
27 Oct 17
The tree is starting to die as well. Sometime soon we will have to take it down. The wood is expensive so we might try to sell it.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21585)
• Canada
28 Oct 17
Like you I am so done with picking up walnuts....every days I'm picking up wheelbarrows full. We have a mountain if walnuts....a veritable el dorado for squirrels.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
28 Oct 17
A restaurant for the squirrels. Yup that picture looks all to familiar.
1 person likes this
@Kandae11 (53601)
27 Oct 17
You could become rich off of those.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
27 Oct 17
I could but have no idea where I could go to sell them. One of the first years we lived here we put them in big garbage bags, some ladies stopped by and took them.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (34196)
31 Oct 17
I have the same problem with acorns falling from the trees on my driveway. You could break an ankle slipping on them!