Black walnut tincture from foraged walnut hulls
Black walnut hull tincture is an extract of powerful phenolic compounds with many health benefits and it is a great dewormer for animals. It could be a great ally to have on hand for many complaints.
Equipment
- A quart size mason jar with lid - it should be tight fitting, and to prevent corrosion, use a plastic lid over the flat metal piece of a canning jar lid, or place a bit of plastic wrap or parchment over the opening before covering it with the lid.
- A knife - I like a small paring knife for this.
- Rubber or nitrile gloves - Single use nitrile gloves work best to prevent staining of your skin and you don't have to worry about ruining some better kitchen gloves.
- Strainer or nut milk bag - I like using a nut milk bag for straining the hulls out 8 weeks later.
- Dropper bottle - A small dropper bottle is great for dispensing your tincture.
Ingredients
- 1 quart 100 proof vodka or cider vinegar - 80 proof works, but because there is a lot of moisture in those hulls, I prefer the 100 proof. You could also use 80 proof and a shotglass full of everclear. Use cider vinegar if you don't like using alcohol.
- 10 Fresh walnuts with green hulls - they should be green throughout, else cut away only the still green parts to use in your tincture. Don't use moldy or brown hulls.
Instructions
- You will use the still green hulls that surround the hard seed shell of the black walnut.
- Wear gloves to prevent staining.
- Pick over your walnuts and sort out the best ones for your tincture. Give them a rinse and if they are fairly young still, you can just cut around in a circle and twist the halves apart and drop them in your jar, or, if they are starting to get some brown spots or maybe worms, then just cut the best parts off to use and discard the rest.
- Fill your jar about ¾ full with the black walnut hulls
- Fill the jar to the top with 100 proof vodka or cider vinegar. If you use vinegar, raw organic cider vinegar would be preferable for the extra benefits that you get.
- Seal the jar tight with a lid and shake it a bit. Shake it whenever you think about it once a day or every other day or so.
- Let it extract for 6-8 weeks.
- Strain it and keep it tightly sealed in a jar of an appropriate size. Label it! Fill a small amount into a dropper bottle for easy dispensing.