Recap: Nocino Crafting Experience
Longview Farm's first summer workshop for 2025.
Barefoot under walnut trees on a Sunday afternoon…
This past weekend, we held the first session of the workshop “From Harvest to Bottle: Nocino Crafting Experience.” This workshop is a 3-part series taking place over the course of 6 months.
The goal: to craft nocino (black walnut liqueur) from scratch using natural resources found on the farm.
For those who are unfamiliar, black walnut liqueur is a digestif typically enjoyed after meals. It is made from young walnuts, Everclear or vodka, and the maker’s choice of spices/additions (e.g. cloves, cinnamon, lemon peel, and coffee beans). We followed this recipe.
Nocino has a rich, dark color and complex flavor profile, often described as bittersweet with hints of spices and citrus.
It also has a deep cultural heritage as well, particularly in Italy—which is where I first tasted it, while living in Reggio Emilia.
There is some interesting lore surrounding this drink and the ritual of harvesting walnuts on June 23rd.
This night was believed to be a liminal moment when the veil between worlds thinned. Apparently, barefoot witches would gather green walnuts under the moonlight, performing rituals to capture the tree’s mystical energy.
The walnut tree is seen as sacred in Roman mythology, being associated with Jupiter—the god of sky and thunder.
Perhaps not a coincidence that we heard distant thunder on Sunday afternoon!
The first phase of Sunday’s session was harvesting the walnuts on the property.
Armed with fruit pickers and barefoot—but not cloaked—we began our search. Between 4 walnut trees, we harvested 3 pounds of walnuts.
Once we had our harvest, we chopped the young walnuts in half and placed them in mason jars for maceration. We added the other ingredients—deciding on two variations—and finished it off with Everclear.
It is important to use young walnuts when they are still green.
Green walnuts are harvested while soft and filled with a milky sap. This sap contains juglone, a compound that darkens the liqueur and was once believed to have protective properties.
In 1 month, the liquid will have absorbed the walnut essence and darkened in color. We will then strain our mixture and sweeten to taste.
Our final product will be ready for the Winter Solstice. A fitting time of year to bottle and taste this special drink.
Stay tuned as we continue this process!
Part 1 was a lot of fun!! If you're interested in part 2 & 3 of the Nocino Crafting workshop, it's not too late to sign up (in Part 2 we'll be getting the liquor ready for bottling).
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-harvest-to-bottle-nocino-crafting-experience-tickets-1417683602819?aff=oddtdtcreator