I go not for a shady spot to finish a hat or a pair of gloves but in search of walnuts the size of golf balls, too early for the shell to have formed. If the knitting needle passes through the flesh and out the other side, I’m not too late.
I am following, two weeks later and with less elegance, in the footsteps of the ladies of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, where, in late June, these ‘green’ walnuts are infused in the local spirit alcohol to produce a wonderful aperitif known as Nocino. There are contests, usually for women only, to establish the finest, so seriously is this homemade beverage taken. One of the pleasures of growing your own walnuts is being part of this noble tradition. Green walnuts can be pickled— they are delicious in this way— but most of those I pick are infused in vodka in my take on the classic, known, of course, as DiacoNocino.
It is as simple as it is superb: quarter 29 or 31 green walnuts (an odd number is traditional), infuse in a liter of vodka into which 400g sugar has been stirred. Flavorings —such as vanilla pod, cloves, lemon zest, and a stick of cinnamon—are occasional options. I turn it daily (when I remember) for a couple of months, then strain it into a bottle. The dark, syrupy, bittersweet liqueur is superb stone-cold or drizzled over ice cream.
This story is from the September 01, 2021 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 01, 2021 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Love and logic
Two lovers who endured adversity and separation in life would become united in Paris after death, discovers Eileen Reid
Don't mock them
Plant a philadelphus, or mock orange, now for improbably lovely scent and cascades of sparkling blossom this summer, says John Hoyland
Home is where the art is
No trouble is too much for the Marquess of Cholmondeley to display to best effect Sir Antony Gormley's sculptures against the magnificent backdrop of Houghton Hall, even if it means cutting a hole in the floor, as Charlotte Mullins discovers
Bold and beautiful
The gardens at Broughton Grange, Oxfordshire The home of Sir Stephen and Lady Hester An arboretum, woodland garden, stumpery and heather garden all planted for artistic effect are among the many features that mark out this exciting garden, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Land of liquid gold
Greek cuisine-from delicious mezes to shellfish-might be 'tightly bound to the sparse soil and the blue sea', but it is sorely underrated, laments Tom Parker Bowles
An old way of life in rural France
Arcadian tranquillity, a wealth of cultural richness and a slow pace of life enchant John Lewis-Stempel as he reflects on his existence in France profonde
Deep in Hardy country
Hardy's beguilingly pretty Wessex is the setting for three houses with links to people and places that fuelled the writer's imagination
The benefit of foresight
The ability to anticipate the future is the secret of a successful building project
Nature's rarest gems
G. Collins & Sons specialises in the sourcing and setting of the finest natural fancy coloured diamonds the world has to offer
A prickly subject
Resembling a jumbo jacket potato on surprisingly long, scurrying legs, the hedgehog is Britain’s favourite mammal. Marianne Taylor takes a closer look beneath its spines