Traditional carob nuts: How to make them and what are they good for? | Magazine

Why Midsummer?

They are also sometimes called black because they turn completely black during preparation. They got the nickname St. John’s because they usually gather around the feast of St. John, which falls on June 24. That’s also when bonfires are lit and herbs that are said to have magical powers are collected. At this time, the nuts are still green and can be pickled whole or used, for example, to make St. John’s wort.

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Right timing

The nuts you want to use must not only be green. It is very important that they do not yet have a hard shell developed inside. This may not be noticeable at first glance. Sometimes it happens that due to the warmer weather, the right time to pick the nuts comes before the end of June, so it is good to keep an eye on the nuts and keep testing them by trying to pierce a few with a metal needle. If it goes easily, the nuts are suitable for harvesting. If not, a shell has already formed inside, and you will have to wait a year.

They are good and healthy

Walnuts are very healthy and at the time of Saint John’s Day, they contain even more healing power. That’s why our ancestors started making various goodies from them. For example, they pickled them in sugar-spiced syrup. They got a great delicacy and at the same time excellent remedy for stomach problems. And not only that. Nuts too they benefit the heart, because they are full of healthy fats. They are loaded with antioxidantssuch as vitamins C and E. They contain substances with anti-inflammatory properties, too improve the condition of the skin and hair, and because they also contain omega-3 fatty acids, they strengthen memory and improve mood.

Even in this case, however, it is true that too much of everything is harmful. That’s why it’s good to eat locust nuts only in small quantities, as a snack. They contain a substance called juglone, which gives them their color and typical aroma, but can be toxic in larger quantities.

How to prepare carob nuts?

If you want to make carob nuts yourself at home, you will need patience above all. The entire preparation will take almost two years. But the long wait is worth it, because the result is a delicious delicacy that can be cut into slices and used as an addition to meat dishes, pâtés, cream cheeses, it can be added to salads or decorated with desserts.

What you will need:

• 1 kg of green walnuts
• alcohol for pouring nuts (e.g. vodka or plum wine)
• 1 kg of granulated sugar
• 500 ml of water
• 6 cloves
• 1 cinnamon roll
• 1 vanilla pod
• zest from 1 organic lemon

Approach:

1. Wash the green nuts thoroughly and pierce each one in several places with a pin or a needle. Then soak them in cold water and let them macerate for 10-14 days, changing the water every day. This process will help remove the bitterness from the nuts.

2. After the soaking time, rinse the nuts, dry them well and put them in alcohol. Place them in a cooler, dark place and let them macerate for 12 months. If you don’t want to macerate them in a container, you can also seal them in foil with alcohol.

3. After a year, prepare a sugar solution – boil two parts of sugar with one part of water until the sugar dissolves. Add cinnamon, cloves, lemon peel, seeds hollowed out of the vanilla pod and the whole pod to the mixture. Strain the nuts through a sieve (you can sweeten the remaining alcohol to make a good bitter liqueur), add them to the broth and leave to cool. Then transfer them to a clean bag, vacuum and cook in a water bath at 85°C for 24 hours. Then let the bag of nuts cool down and macerate for at least another 6 months (up to 2 years) in a cool, dark place. The second option is to cook the nuts in the broth until they are completely soft. Then transfer them to canning jars, cover with boiling water, close the jars and sterilize in the same way as compote. Leave the nuts preserved in this way to macerate for half a year and you can use them.

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