If you purchase an item through links on this page, we may earn a commission. Our editorial content is not influenced by commissions. Read full disclosure.
Nuts are fantastic snacks because they stay fresh long enough if you know how to harvest and prepare them correctly. But with just a little extra effort, you can preserve them and dramatically extend the shelf life of your nuts.
If you’re looking for practical ways to store your nuts longer and want to know the safe processes for storing them, keep reading this article.
Harvest and preparation
Nuts are an essential part of the house. All sorts of species like black walnuts, pecans and almonds are great sources of nutrition and they keep for a long time if you know how to do it right.
Some of the most popular nuts are:
Depending on the species, there are different ways to harvest and handle these nuts. Let’s start with the almonds.
Almonds
Almonds are one of the most common types of nuts in stores. They are tasty and a perfect snack for yard work. Almonds have been cultivated and eaten for centuries.
You’ll know it’s time to harvest the almonds when the drupes have split and fallen off. Spread a tarp or other material under the tree to pick up the nuts.
Put the almonds in the freezer for at least 48 hours as this kills any insects or other pests living on the nuts.
Hazelnuts and Walnuts
You will be able to tell if the hazelnuts are ripe when they turn brown and are easy to remove from the tree. The nuts will also turn brown when ready to harvest.
Hazelnuts and walnuts are prepared in the same way; they both need to be dried before they are eaten or stored. After harvesting, these nuts should be dried for 24 hours. You can keep the nuts in the shell at this point or remove them.
You can remove the nuts from the shell before drying to save on the road. Store nuts in an airtight container until you are ready to dry them.
The ideal drying temperature is 95-105°F to lock in flavor. As a general rule, hazelnuts take a little less time to dry than walnuts. Dry walnuts for 3-4 days and hazelnuts for 2-3 days.
Pistachios
Pistachios are ripe when you can squeeze the outer coating, called the epicarp, and it breaks away from the nut inside. Place a tarp underneath and shake off the branches. Ripe nuts will fall to the ground.
To start, immediately remove the epicarps. Then freeze the pistachios in the freezer for 48 hours to ensure they are safe to eat before canning.
Dry the pistachios at a temperature of 140-160°F for about 10-14 hours. You can do this in your oven on a baking sheet.
Chestnuts
Chestnuts are delicious when dried and cooked. It is a good starchy food and a low fat snack.
When you notice the chestnuts have grown prominent and shiny and are falling from the tree, they are ripe. Pick them up from the ground.
If you want to store chestnuts for the short term, store them in the fridge or freezer (up to 3 months). If you want to store chestnuts longer, dry them as you would other nuts.
You can also dry chestnuts, which can make them sweeter. To do this, leave the chestnuts at room temperature, encouraging them to convert the starch into sugar, before storing them.
Store nuts
There are many ways to store your nuts so they last longer.
1. In jars
Clean and sterilize the jars before filling them. This is essential if you are reusing jars, as you may need to remove leftover food or bacteria from the last time you used them.
You can sterilize the jars by boiling them, including the lids, for at least 10 minutes. This is the right amount of time to eliminate toxins and clean the jar thoroughly. Let them air dry on a clean towel.
The next step is to fill your jars with nuts. Fill them to the top to remove as much air as possible and close them with the lid. Store them for a few months in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator.
2. Make nut butter
One way to enjoy your nut harvest is to create a nut butter. You only need a few ingredients.
For example, to make almond butter, you need 4 cups of almonds and 3-4 tablespoons of flavored oil like avocado oil.
Roast the nuts in a 350°F oven until warm and golden, about 10 minutes. Let the almonds cool then transfer them to a food processor. Mix oil and nuts together.
It takes a while for the nuts to turn into a creamy paste, so be patient and keep going. As soon as the ingredients have turned into a paste, you can add things like salt, honey, cinnamon, maple syrup or chocolate to add flavor.
Once the dough is ready, place the butter in a clean jar and seal it. Store the butter in the refrigerator and consume it within 2 weeks.
Nut butter also makes a great gift for friends and family members. You can wrap them with ribbon or other decorations as a special gift!
3. Vacuum sealing
There is another option for storing nuts, and that is in vacuum sealed bags. This option is cost-effective and efficient if you want to store large quantities of nuts at home. Vacuum sealing removes air from inside the container, allowing the nuts to stay fresh longer.
Use a vacuum sealer to remove the air and heat seal the end. You can add oxygen absorbers to the bags or skip them. Oxygen absorbers can also be used in zipper bags to recreate the effect of vacuum sealing with a machine.
Store the bags in the fridge or freezer to extend their shelf life even further.
4. Freezing
Pack your nuts in freezer bags and squeeze the air out. Seal them tightly and place them in the freezer for up to a year.
Why can’t you nut?
Years ago, people canned nuts in pressure canners and steamers. With the exception of green peanuts, it is no longer recommended to use canning to preserve your nuts. There’s just too much chance that the pathogens will survive the process and make you and your family sick.
Was this article helpful?
Yes No ×
We appreciate your helpful feedback!
Your response will be used to improve our content. The more feedback you give us, the better our pages will be.
Facebook pinterest