GO INTO A BACKYARD IN AN IOWA
NEIGHBORHOOD AND CHANCES ARE
PRETTY GOOD THAT YOU'LL FIND A
WALNUT TREE.
WALNUT TREES PROVIDE WELCOME
SHADE IN THE SUMMER AND ARE
PRIZED FOR THEIR DISTINCTIVE AND
BEAUTIFUL WOOD.
BUT LET'S ADMIT IT, FOR SOME OF
US, COME LATE SEPTEMBER OR EARLY
OCTOBER, THOSE TREES CAN BECOME
QUITE A NUISANCE ALL BECAUSE OF
THEIR PLENTIFUL SEEDS.
THEY SMELL BAD, STAIN YOUR
HANDS, AND CAN BE A TOUGH NUT TO
CRACK, SO IT'S NOT SURPRISING
THAT THE WALNUT GETS A BAD RAP.
BUT FOR SOME INDUSTRIOUS IOWANS
ACROSS THE STATE, BLACK WALNUTS
CAN BE BIG BUSINESS.
ENTER DELL LAWRENCE.
ON A FARM IN SABULA, THIS NUT
PRODUCER HULLS, WASHES, DRIES,
AND CRACKS WALNUTS...
A LOT OF WALNUTS.
>> LAST YEAR, I PICKED UP 500
FIVE-GALLON BUCKETS OF BLACK
WALNUTS, CLEANED THEM, WASHED
THEM, DRIED THEM, CRACKED THEM,
AND SOLD THEM.
>> FOR SEVERAL YEARS, DELL HAS
COLLECTED NUTS ALONG HIGHWAY 64
FROM CEDAR RAPIDS TO THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
>> BLACK WALNUTS ARE -- THEY'RE
REALLY EVERYWHERE IN IOWA.
>> WALNUTS, OR MORE
SPECIFICALLY, BLACK WALNUTS, ARE
ONE OF THE MOST PLENTIFUL AND
WELL-KNOWN NUT SPECIES IN THE
STATE.
IN FACT, THE BLACK WALNUT GROWS
IN ALL 99 COUNTIES IN IOWA.
>> IT'S A DIFFERENT FLAVOR FROM
OTHER NUTS, ESPECIALLY ENGLISH
WALNUTS.
I PERSONALLY LIKE IT A LOT
BETTER.
>> WALNUTS ARE HIGH IN PROTEIN,
VITAMIN E, AND OMEGA-3 FATTY
ACIDS.
A HANDFUL OF THE FOR AN
AFTERNOON SNACK CAN STAVE OFF
HUNGER, AND THEY ARE OFTEN THAT
SPECIAL TWIST IN DESSERTS AND
TREATS.
THE WORK OF WALNUT PRODUCERS IS
LONG, ARDUOUS, AND MESSY.
BUT THE JOB BEGINS RATHER
SIMPLY.
>> WELL, AS FAR AS PICKING UP
BLACK WALNUTS, I GUESS I HAVE A
STRONG BACK OR AT LEAST IT
DOESN'T GET TIRED REAL FAST, SO
I JUST PICK THEM UP UNDER THE
TREE BY HAND AND PUT THEM IN THE
FIVE-GALLON BUCKETS.
THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO CRACK
NUTS.
VERY TYPICALLY, IT'S JUST USE A
HAMMER.
THE PROBLEM WITH A HAMMER IS
ONCE YOU HIT THAT NUT, YOU GO
ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND YOU WIND
UP WITH A LOT OF PIECES, AND
THAT'S WHAT I GREW UP WITH WAS A
LOT OF PIECES.
YOU WILL WEAR YOUR ARM OUT
BECAUSE IT TAKES 40 FOOT-POUNDS
TO BREAK THEM.
I CAME WITH AN ELECTRIC MOTOR TO
RUN MY NEW NUTCRACKER.
I'VE HAD THIS MACHINE THREE
YEARS, AND I'VE CRACKED PROBABLY
OVER 100,000 NUTS ON IT.
I DID, BEFORE I WORE SAFETY
GLASSES, HAVE A COUPLE CHIPS FLY
AT ME, AND THAT -- I MADE SURE
AFTER THAT THAT I WORE SAFETY
GLASSES USING THIS MACHINE.
>> SURE, THE WALNUT CAN BE A
NUISANCE, BUT THE HARD WORK
INVOLVED IN GETTING THAT
FLAVORFUL NUT MAKES THIS IOWA
INGREDIENT ALL THE MORE SPECIAL.
>> WALNUT TREES AND THE WALNUTS
THEMSELVES JUST MUST BE IN MY
BLOOD, OTHERWISE WHY WOULD I DO
THIS?
THEY'RE KIND OF MESSY.
THEY'RE KIND OF HEAVY.
THEY TAKE UP A LOT OF ROOM.
THEY'RE HARD TO CRACK, BUT I
MAKE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAPPY.
THEY TELL YOU STORIES ABOUT
THEIR GROWING UP AND HAVING
THESE WALNUTS OR THEY TALK ABOUT
THEIR PARENTS OR THEIR
GRANDPARENTS ON THE FARM HAVING
WALNUTS.
AND SO IT'S A LOT OF FUN.