A perfumed orchard where few get to go
My trip to California to explore the secret life of walnuts and a divine recipe for honeyed roast veg with a dreamy, creamy nutty sauce. Plus, a trick to tame their bitterness.
The scent is what struck me first. A divinely sweet and grassy perfume that seemed to be carried on motes waltzing in shafts of sunlight between the trees. Where had the aroma come from? It was the walnut husks, explained Josh Barton, a fifth generation walnut farmer. When the mechanical tree shakers rattled the trees, the fruit fell to the ground, releasing their fragrance as they landed with gentle thuds.
I’d never visited a walnut orchard before, and just as it was on my first time standing in a cacao plantation, I was strangely moved. I’ve been to dairies, cattle farms, fruit orchards and salmon farms, vineyards, cheesemakers, wheat farms and canneries. It’s always incredible to see where food comes from and how it’s made. But when a food only grows commercially in a handful of places, some of them far flung, and few people ever get to witness how it's done, it really is an honour.
I’ve marvelled at walnut trees in the English countryside, of course, and wondered about the ‘green’ (unripe) windfalls that I’ve picked up on my walks. But as for walnuts’ journey from tree to pack, like many people, I hadn’t a clue. So, I accepted an invite from the California Walnut Commission (a government agency aimed at promoting … walnuts) to visit their orchards at harvest time. (My visit was paid for by the state of California, but I was under no obligation whatsoever to write about my trip or post about it on social media.)
Walnuts are grown commercially in China, Iran, Turkey, France and Italy but those from California are prized; the endless sunshine and rich fertile soil make them especially sweet, creamy and abundant. Barton Ranch, one of the largest growers in California, kindly allowed a bunch of us to wander the ranks of its 130,000 trees. They grow up to 100ft tall, topped by a thick canopy of lush, aromatic leaves that cast dappled shadows on the rich earth below.
After the walnuts are shaken off, they’re swept up by mechanical harvesters and ferried to a processing plant to be meticulously sorted, cleaned and packaged. Useful fact: shelled walnuts should be stored in the fridge or freezer to stop them going rancid and to preserve their omega-3s. Also, walnuts consume around 15% less water than thirsty almonds, and also self-pollinate (unlike commercially grown almonds, which need bees to be shipped in to do the job).
I know many people, especially children, don’t particularly fancy walnuts, and even though I’ve eaten them daily for years, I get it. The skin around the ‘meat’ of the walnut can taste bitter and overpowering. My recipe below is ideal for walnut
nay-sayers, not only because I suggest briefly boiling them in water first, but also because they’re whizzed up with other good things.
A note for those who, like me, love future-proofing my cooking by making enough for more than one meal: try making double the quantity specified below. First I made the recipe. Then I made soup - in a large saucepan, fry an onion in olive oil until soft. Add the vegetables and 500ml veg or chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in a heaped dessertspoon of the walnut cream. Blitz to the consistency you like your soup, then sprinkle with the remaining gremolata. Use the remaining walnut cream as a dip, or stirred through pasta with a generous splash of the pasta cooking water. Walnuts never tasted so good.
Honey-roasted vegetables with walnut cream and gremolata
For the vegetables
600g (trimmed + peeled weight) veg like squash, celeriac, carrots and beetroot, chopped into 2cm pieces (I used squash and celeriac)
20g butter
1/2 Tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1 Tbs olive oil
For the walnut cream
75g shelled walnuts
1 slice soft bread (I used white, but use brown if you like)
75ml milk
1 garlic clove
25g Parmesan cheese, grated
3 dessertspoons natural yoghurt
1 Tbsp olive oil
lemon juice, to taste
For the gremolata
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 handful of walnuts, finely chopped
finely grated zest 1/2 lemon
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Tip the vegetables into a large roasting tray.
In a small pan, heat the butter, honey and olive oil until melted and bubbling. Pour over the vegetables, toss well to coat and spread them out in a single layer. Roast for 40 minutes, or until tender and starting to brown at the edges.
While the veg are cooking, make the walnut cream. Bring a medium pan of water to the boil and add the the walnuts. Simmer for 4 minutes and then drain well. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, soak the bread in the milk.
Tip the cooled walnuts, the bread and soaking milk and the remaining walnut cream ingredients in a food processor. Add a good pinch of salt and blitz until very smooth and creamy, adding a splash or two of water to loosen. Taste, and add more salt and/or lemon juice to taste. Set aside.
To make the gremolata, combine all the ingredients with a good pinch of salt.
To serve, spread the walnut cream over a large plate, top with the roast veg and scatter over the gremolata. Serve immediately.