Harvesting, Processing & Grading
It’s a long road from planting a walnut orchard to delivering fresh, delicious walnuts to food professionals. Each step in the process from propagation, to harvest, to packer, and finally to market, is handled with care and attention.
Harvest
The harvest begins in late August, when the outer green hulls start to split, allowing the inshell walnuts to be removed, and continues through late November.
Gather
First, the orchard floor is swept clean. Then, mechanical shakers vigorously shake each tree and thousands of walnuts fall to the ground. The walnuts are then carefully swept into windrows to allow mechanical harvesters to pick them up for cleaning.
Process
The outer green husk is removed by a huller and the nut is washed, then mechanically dehydrated (air-dried) to the optimum 8% moisture level. This prevents deterioration of the nut and protects its quality during storage. Walnuts are stored inshell until needed for cracking. California Walnuts are protected from contamination due to the nut’s double envelope of hull and shell while on the tree.
Grade
Walnuts are transported to a packing plant where they are graded based on usage, inshell or shelled.
Shell
Shelled walnuts are further graded by colour, as shown in the walnut colour chart.
Screen & Separate
Walnut kernels are screened and separated into different sizes (refer to Size and Colour chart).