How to dry your home grown nuts

We have three almond trees which are producing a good amount of nuts. We have also planted a walnut and pecan tree which will hopefully start producing in the next couple of years. We also plant peanuts in our vegetable beds annually.

To dry your harvested nuts, place them in the sun to dry thoroughly and then separate the nuts from any casings before storage.


 Always store your produce in their shells and in a dry and cool place, preferably in breathable cloth sacks and they will store until your next harvest but the tasty nuts probably won't last that long.

With peanuts, leave them in the ground until the plants have turned yellow and dig them out. Shake the soil off the roots and hang to dry for seven days in a warm and dry location. After a week, pull the peanuts from the plant, clean off any remaining soil and sun dry for a further two weeks whilst turning occasionally. Peanuts are highly perishable and vulnerable to mould.

Shelled peanuts will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for three months and unshelled for up to six months but inspect regularly and remove any peanuts which show signs of moulding. If you are lucky enough to produce a large crop, you can try making your own peanut butter  which is a good way of longer term preservation