Grinding shells?
- Thread starter MissTina
- Start date
Probably not the "best" way, but a low tech way would be to make a "hominy block" like the pioneers used. It was a 2-3 foot tree trunk with a hollowed out place, deeper in the middle. Corn was pounded into grain with heavy poles, mauls or stones.
Could you improvise with a cast iron dutch oven put inside a plastic bucket for the hollowed out log and maybe use something like a heavy splitting maul for a pestle? (the maul to be used in an up and down motion)
Imagine if you got the shells crushed they could then be put through a Corona grain mill. Would take massive muscle though.
Think I'm missing some important use for ground walnut shells. LOL MissTina, complete my education here or I will wonder every time I throw out walnut shells!!!
Could you improvise with a cast iron dutch oven put inside a plastic bucket for the hollowed out log and maybe use something like a heavy splitting maul for a pestle? (the maul to be used in an up and down motion)
Imagine if you got the shells crushed they could then be put through a Corona grain mill. Would take massive muscle though.
Think I'm missing some important use for ground walnut shells. LOL MissTina, complete my education here or I will wonder every time I throw out walnut shells!!!
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why not just use them as mulch? After you crack them to take out the nutmeats, they are already fairly small. Just add them to the mulch in the flower beds. If you have something else in mind, what about dumping them onto a big piece of plywood, covering themwith another sheet and driving your car over them. It would be efficient. Might not be very good for the plywood, but you can get that after elections for free. 
Mushroom
Mushroom
Mushroom I'm an Okie and my mum always put her crushed up shells in the garden compost. She used them around her roses as mulch as well. She was friends with the local pecan farmers and they used to give them to her by the sack fulls. Unfortunately they were put out of business a few years ago by the enormous ice storm that went through eastern oklahoma.
I want to grind apricot shells in particular for use in my soap. It's a little expensive to buy and I figured as long as I'm getting apricots by the bushels from my FIL I might as well put them to good use. I've seen ground walnut shell used in soaps as well but I'm not sure I'm ready to use them ... yet. I mainly mentioned that because I know people would know more about crushing pecans or walnuts as opposed to apricot seeds and I figured whatever worked for pecans and walnuts would work for apricot seeds as well.
I discovered several Black Walnut trees on our property that I had not seen last year so I'll grind those for the garden for sure. I prefer English Walnuts in baking but like black walnuts in ice cream and taffy!
I want to grind apricot shells in particular for use in my soap. It's a little expensive to buy and I figured as long as I'm getting apricots by the bushels from my FIL I might as well put them to good use. I've seen ground walnut shell used in soaps as well but I'm not sure I'm ready to use them ... yet. I mainly mentioned that because I know people would know more about crushing pecans or walnuts as opposed to apricot seeds and I figured whatever worked for pecans and walnuts would work for apricot seeds as well.
I discovered several Black Walnut trees on our property that I had not seen last year so I'll grind those for the garden for sure. I prefer English Walnuts in baking but like black walnuts in ice cream and taffy!