Black stained hands from walnuts

[Kitty]

When we bought our French house, we have a large nut tree in the garden.  I picked one of the nuts to see what it was, trying to open it with my hand.  The resulting black stain from the unripe walnut stayed on my hands for at least 2 weeks.

Has anyone had the same experience?

[Suze01]

Yes! 

The first year we were here we had to cut down a walnut tree in September when the fruits were nearly ready to drop. So as not to 'waste' any nuts [blink] I stupidly picked off all the green shells, opening them with my bare hands to get to the nut. Nothing but nothing would get rid of the black stains on my hands and I tried everything! It was weeks before my hands looked clean again.

[Christine Animal]

I too have learnt to now wear gloves !  You can't see it while you are doing it, the stains show a little later... [:$]   and it's true nothing seems to get them off.

 

[Chris Head]

Fell out of a Walnut tree when I was 11 scrumping nuts and still had a black hand underneath the plaster cast 6 weeks later!

Chris

[andyh4]

I believe walnut husks are the original source of Van Dijk brown pigment and Brou du Noix.

 

[Christine Animal]

I don't know anything about Dick Van Dijk   [geek]   but Brou de Noix yes, it may even be the origin of the red hair here   [:P]    "L'écale jeune peut donner des teintures rouges pour les cheveux"

http://www.dotapea.com/broudenoix.htm

 

[Gyn_Paul]

Peeling the outer green husks releases something (an oil I suspect)

which oxydizes. If it happens to be in contact with your skin at the

time, the resulting brown /black pigment is absorbed into the epidermis

AND STAYS THERE !  In fact it stays there until that layer of skin

sloughs off. I know this from personal experience. !

p

[Chocolate]

I fell about laughing at this thread. Yes. This green newcomer did the same thing.

A kind Dutch friend gave me a secret recipe for a certain walnut product. It entailed picking unripe walnuts in late June, then cutting them into small pieces. Hubby was away, so with nothing better to do, I duly picked and began to cut up the soft little nuts with a small kitchen knife. It occured to me at about nut 12 of the necessary 40 that there was a very green juice coming out over my fingers. By nut 40 I was very green.

No matter. Just rinse it off. Then I watched in horror as my green fingers, nails and hands quickly turned black. And I mean black. In fact dark, nutty, walnut black!

As an ex-teacher I had often had coloured hands from water colour paint used in school (!) or from dyeing in art and craft sessions. Just do the same I thought. Keep washing and it will go. Huh! Even a dip in concentrated neat household bleach didn't work. In the end I had to cut my nails short and apologise to everyone and say that I had washed my hands that day. It took over 3 weeks to have even remotely normal skin colour again.

Next time  -  rubber gloves.

Hope the recipe turns out well and was worth it!

[Rob Roy]

I finished pickling walnuts a couple of weeks ago - my index finger on my right hand is only just recovering from pricking them all. I used gloves, but not rubber ones (stupidly) and the juice seeped through [:@]

We have 7 or 8 walnut trees (not sure how many) and will be inundated with them come October time.

[Kitty]

Now we know how at get at our worst enemy - send them a bag of 40 green walnuts and Chocolate's recipe...  Ooooo revenge...

[Just Katie]

You could pop some in a tub of face cream.

[Tony F Dordogne]

One local legend in 24 is the black stain is the origin or the 'Perigord Noir' appelation for our bit of France, walnut centre of the world - apparently.

[Christine Animal]

That's interesting, I never knew why it was called that (I imagined it was the truffles).

I'm going ro rub my hair with my rubber gloves next time I pick them !     

 

[Kitty]

Rubbing the walnut juice into your hair may be one way of eliminating grey hairs - although squirrels may attack you.

[Just Katie]

[quote user="Cathy"]

Rubbing the walnut juice into your hair may be one way of eliminating grey hairs - although squirrels may attack you.

[/quote]

Well why doesnt someone give it a go on a small section and report back to us?

[Rob Roy]

Go on then KKK - I dare you [:P][;-)]

[Kitty]

Why a small section - do it on the whole lot!  A man could mix it in with his Brylcream!  But what would happen to the pillow at night?

[Just Katie]

[quote user="Rob Roy"]Go on then KKK - I dare you [:P][;-)][/quote]

I most definitely would if I was grey.  And besides how long would it take to grow a walnut tree in Wales?

Seriously, someone try it.  Just a small section and see what happens.  Or dab a bit on your blokes head while he sleeps. 

Who knows, it may lead to the french mocking the colour of the rostbifs hair for a change[:-))]