r/fermentation • u/Own-Chemistry-495 • Jun 22 '26
Other My first attempt Nocino with fresh Green Walnuts.
I harvested 52 fresh green walnuts... Then i place then in a Glas Bottle with clean 60% Alkohol. Later i will add some other stuff.
Any good Infos are Welcome 😎
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u/Remote-Blacksmith516 Jun 22 '26
Wait, you can eat unripened walnuts?
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u/zebravis Jun 22 '26
You don't eat the walnuts. They flavor the drink and afterwards are thrown out. 😄
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u/dwise24 Jun 22 '26
That is true you throw them out for nocino, but also true you can eat unripe walnuts. I have walnut ketchup I made from fermented young black walnuts which is my favorite sauce right now. Excellent as a sub for A1 steak sauce.
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u/Own-Chemistry-495 Jun 22 '26
Recipe for the walnuts ketchup please
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u/psilome Jun 22 '26
https://foragerchef.com/black-walnut-ketchup/
I followed this one, it came out great.
I also made pickled green English walnuts. Very savory, similar to black olives, go great with charcuterie.
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u/dwise24 Jun 22 '26
This is exactly the recipe I followed as well! Subbed Korean shrimp paste for anchovies
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u/SandVir Jun 22 '26
Very curious! Fermented with salt and...?
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u/dwise24 Jun 22 '26
Actually no salt, just a week in fresh water. Turns the water jet black which is fun. Smell is off putting but mellows out a lot once dried and cooked down. Alternatively you can add salt to the water for a more traditional English style walnut pickle.
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u/jellamma Jun 22 '26
In another comment, they mentioned using the walnuts for a second infusion of "nocino wine" or nociato, where they infuse a dry white wine.
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u/HauntedCemetery Jun 22 '26
You absolutely can, but that's not what this is.
It's common in England to pickle green walnuts. Supposedly tastes like steak sauce when it's done right.
I've tried with black walnuts and the flavor is good, but I've yet ti crack the texture code.
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Jun 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/zebravis Jun 22 '26
I have a batch of 2 year old nocino, i drink a little bit every once in a while. The flavour gets so much better over time!
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u/stevendaedelus Jun 22 '26
I made one last summer with fresh green pecans, and the flavour is phenomenal, but the tannins are still mellowing. I even did a simple egg white fining, but may need another round.
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u/RevolutionaryMale Jun 22 '26
After it darkens, and you strain out the walnuts, let it sit for a year or two; the flavour only gets better with time. I have a batch from 2020 that tastes amazing.
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u/penguin_hugger100 Jun 22 '26
This is fascinating but not relevant to a fermentation subreddit. There's no biological activity happening in a 60% alcohol solution, you're just extracting flavor compounds
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u/toocleverbyhalf Jun 22 '26
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u/-phototrope Jun 22 '26
I made some two years ago, I made three different flavor profiles:
"Plain" - I actually added 3 cloves, but that was it
Star Anise + 5 Cloves + Lemon - I used a whole pod, it tastes so strongly of anise. I like it, but it feels like its own thing now
A few coffee beans + cloves + orange - I like this one a lot, but the plain is still my favorite.
It's all gotten better the longer it has sat.
To keep it relevant to this sub, I am going to try making some vinegar out of it at some point soon.
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u/dekozn Jun 22 '26
Try zest of lemon for one batch instead of whole lemon and see/taste how that turns out 😉
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u/dekozn Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
I use 94% or 96% alcohol and add cloves and cinnamon sticks immediately. After a few months (can be weeks but I am prone to procrastinate) I filter it. Then I dissolve sugar in Lambrusco and combine with the filtered alcohol. let it rest for 5 months then bottle. Per 225ml of 94% alcohol you need 500ml Lambrusco
To make Vernoce: Get a 750ml bottle of dry white Vermouth (18%) to pour over the nuts and spices you filter out the alcohol. Add some extra cinnamon and cloves and 60ml 94% alcohol. Let it macerate for 1 week in a sunny place then another 5 weeks in dark cool spot , filter and bottle. The longer you let it rest after bottling the better it becomes (needs at least 4 months.)
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u/leftturnmike Jun 23 '26
They candy unripe walnuts in republic of Georgia as well, they're delicious!
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u/psilome Jun 22 '26
I added coffee beans and lemon rind to mine for an espresso style. To another batch I added star anise and vanilla bean.
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u/ArtenDaelus Jun 22 '26
I will chime in with mead. I leave the green walnuts in for 50ish and then i filter it. My mead is 18% alc
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u/zoltantribe Jun 25 '26
Hey y'all!!! I just made a nocino sub reddit page r/nocinomaking . Please join!!!
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u/Spirited_Air9090 Jun 22 '26
Cinnamon, cloves, and a vanilla pod go a long way when you add the spices later, that dark inky colour it turns over the weeks is so satisfying to watch.