[Steph Hen]

We supply vegetables to a number of processors. One processor has found a walnut fruit/nut in their processing line (the greenish, outer part, shell and all), they believe it came from our veg and are keen to be compensated for their loss of product - many thousands of pounds 
 It didn't come from us, but we have to prove it. We have no walnut trees nearby, our harvesting technique and primary processing wouldn't let one through, no foreign bodies get through, other than mud.

However, it would be VERY useful if you have a local walnut tree, if you'd tell me what state it's in and where you are in the country PLEASE. Did it fruit this summer? How big did they get? Are the fruits still green or another colour? any leaves still on the tree?   

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide x

[graemeatwellbank]

In Blairgowrie.
Our walnut tree has been shedding nuts for about a month. Still dropping them. Still many on the tree.
They are green on the tree but quickly change to dark colour when they fall.
Nuts are much smaller than the ones you can buy but with the green soft shell they are about plum size.
The nuts certainly do not fall far from the tree and in our case mostly topple onto the flat garage roof from where we gather them with a rake.
Sorry, maybe not the response you were after.

[Steph Hen]

Thank you. 

[macgro7]

There's one next to us but because there is only one in the area it doesn't have any fruits but seems to still have most of the leaves. Leicester

[Steph Hen]

 

Does anyone have a fruiting tree that I could come and visit please? We could really do with some example fruits to test our processing plant with. I would hope to be able to get to locations in Angus, Aberdeen, Fife, Perth areas.

Thanks in advance. (Box of veg or cash available for anyone who can help!)
 

[graemeatwellbank]

Steph.
As per my PM, you are welcome anytime but with the recent weather the tree is getting bare quickly.
Sorry but tomorrow (Wednesday) is 'golf' so nobody at home though you could still see the tree above our garage.
I'll try to keep my phone (*********802) with me.
Graeme.

[Steph Hen]

Sorry, no PM has come through :-(   I assumed you either didn't want me poking about or hadn't been online.
Spent the day driving around Dundee and Tayport and talking to some really interesting people! I saw some at the botanical garden and the curator let me away with some samples.

Thank you very much for your offer Graeme, what a shame that I didn't get your message! but I think I'm ok, at least there's no urgency now. That said I might be in blairegowrie on the weekend so if you're happy to pm me your address (again!) if I do, it would be great to test my ID skills again and get some more samples and photos. Hope you have a good golf day!

[Possum]

Hello Steph,


How are you getting on with that troublesome processor and the walnut?

[cans]

You say “they believe it came from our veg”
Have they said why they believe it came from your veg?

If you show that there are no walnut trees near to you then the walnut can’t have come from from your veg?

[wayland]

I hope you get this resolved soon. Just a thought. Could a Squirrel have brought the offending nut onto your property?

[Steph Hen]

Thanks for your support and interest. We've put together a case which is fairly sound. A bird or squirrel could bring one onto the land, but unlikely from very far away and there aren't any walnut trees any where near the farm. The samples that I collected we're successfully removed from the beds by our processing plant.  Walnuts have never turned up here before (decades) whereas the processor has had this problem before and there are walnuts close to their factory. It's all with the insurers now.

After learning about these fab trees I want to cultivate some myself! 

[chrismahon]

We have a walnut tree or perhaps 'bush' as strong winds about 20 years ago blew it over but it survived and fruits well. I'm in the process of digging out brambles from the land and keep finding individual walnuts. The tree is anything up to 60 metres away from the finds so, after keeping watch, we discovered it is magpies picking them up and dropping them in flight. We've also seen a red squirrel visit and crows.