The Whole Dish

When its fruit is blackened and turning to mush on the ground, a backyard walnut tree doesn’t seem like such a boon.

But in a year such as this when the husk-fly infestation has been minimal and rain has yet to bring the leaves and fruit down in one fell swoop, harvesting walnuts is a bit like an Easter egg hunt, only in autumn.

I noticed the first few walnuts, beautifully brown and dry, littering the ground yesterday when I was out picking garden greens for a salad. Plans had already been laid for a salad with mission figs, gorgonzola cheese and walnuts — the store-bought ones in my freezer. But now — rejoice! — I had walnuts fresh off the tree to enjoy.

The discovery was thrilling since last year had failed to produce a harvest. I gathered from the enormous quantity of smashed shells littering the ground that squirrels beat us to all the nuts. This year, I may have to present my mother-in-law’s new chocolate Lab with some extra-special treats for keeping the pilferers away.

Happily, my mother-in-law, herself, lets me have all the walnuts I want from the tree. After one year’s bumper crop when we both roasted walnuts, she commented that she didn’t care for the "fishy" taste of these. I simply take it as an indicator that more of the omega fatty acids must be intact. Once I freed them from the shell, roasting the nuts quickly in a medium-hot pan brought out the characteristic rich, slightly tannic flavor.

It was the perfect complement to gorgonzola-stuffed figs wrapped in a little prosciutto and oven-roasted for about 10 minutes. On top of arugula and assorted lettuces and dressed with a fig-walnut vinaigrette I purchased at Ashland’s Shop ’N‘ Kart, the components made for a filling meal with a little garlic toast.

Tonight will see me drying the rest in a low-temperature oven so they’ll keep through the winter. Local walnut purveyor Jeff Anderson advises against heating walnuts to temperatures in excess of 115 degrees. Many walnuts found in stores have scorched and bitter spots due to damaging heat, he says. Look for walnuts soon at the Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters Market.