At the start of summer

..autumn!

This is one of a fair scattering of walnut trees growing in wild places around here.  And the two little urns are early stage walnuts, which somehow seems very autumnal.  I thought them incredibly graceful and pretty sitting among the young leaves with that lovely peep of blue sky.  And I hope I can enter them for FlowerFriday as the stamens at least are still attached ;)  A little later in the summer, before the shells go hard, they can be pickled.  Down below is a recipe, courtesy of The Field magazine's website.

Enjoy your weekend all (and the Bank Hol too, UK-ers)  xx

When to pick walnuts
The immature green fruit required for pickling needs to be harvested in the summer before the shell has formed. Check for the readiness with a pin: stick it in the end where the flower was and if the shell has started to form it will be about a quarter of an inch in

How to pickle walnuts
Ingredients for 2kg pickled walnuts
225g salt
1 litre malt vinegar
500g brown sugar
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

Prick the walnuts with a fork and cover with water and the salt.
Leave for a week, then drain and renew with a fresh brine solution for another week.
Drain the walnuts and lay out on trays in a dry, airy place. After a few days they will have turned black.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring them to the boil, add the walnuts and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and spoon the nuts into large jars and cover with the liquid.