What are the best ways to get high quality walnuts that are light in color and fully developed? Read the Top 8 Harvest Best Practices to find out.
Just before the harvest:
1. Do not allow nuts to become water stressed.
This will lead to lower weight, and obviously, lower returns.
2. Early harvest spray (ethephon) can be used; make sure to apply when packing tissue of ALL NUTS turns just brown.
Applying the spray too early will cause the nuts to not reach full development.
Harvest:
3. Timing is everything.
Keep an eye on the weather. Harvesting at the hottest part of the day will cause nuts to stain while harvesting during rainy weather will cause mold development.
4. Earlier the harvest, lighter the kernel.
Nuts left too long on the tree will develop darker color.
5. Clean orchard = clean nuts!
Keeping the orchard floor clear will reduce foreign material in the nuts and be valued at a better quality for returns.
6. Follow Good Agricultural Practices.
This includes proper maintenance of harvest vehicles, training employees to not eat/spit in active harvest areas, etc.
7. Always have ‘Safety First’ approach.
Right After Harvest
8. Get the nuts off the floor and to a huller/dehydrator at the earliest.
This will prevent any quality problems from setting in as well as prevent potential theft, a growing problem in last few years.
Taken from California Walnut Board “Best Practices”. More information can be found on the walnuts.org website in the Industry section.
