Black Walnuts - Part 2

The husks on the black walnuts that I picked up had already started to turn black and soften.

I set aside the ones that still had hard husks, to wait for them to soften or until I felt like breaking them open with a hammer or a rock.... :-)












I put the husks in an old enamel canning kettle.
















Handling the husks and nuts will quickly stain your skin, and you can see that even my blue rubber gloves are now stained.


I had brought a pail of water so I could rinse my gloves as I worked, and the water quickly turned dark brown.







I added a yard of pfd cotton fabric to it, and it's been soaking for three days so far.














I added hot water to the husks, and they soaked for three days. I would have liked to bring the mixture to a boil, but decided I didn't want to carry the kettle into the house!

















Today I strained the husks out of the liquid.












Then I added a yard of pfd cotton to this liquid. The fabric looks a bit darker than the fabric that's still soaking in the first pail. I don't know that it will get any darker, but will leave it there for another day or two.













And then, since the husks were still left, I wrapped some fabric around the husks and mixed those parcels in what was left in the bottom of the pan.

So, will any of these pieces of fabric turn into anything interesting? I have no idea, but will report again in a couple of days.