You harvested some unripe walnuts and for this reason you couldn't avoid removing the green outer shell? Now you're sitting in front of your laptop with unsightly brown fingers and wondering how to get the color off? This guide will give you several tips and tricks on how to clean your hands after peeling the walnuts - and also how you can prevent such a scenario in the future.
Green outer shell causes brown discoloration
When walnuts are fully ripe, the green outer shell falls off on its own, exposing the core, the nut. However, anyone who harvests unripe walnuts is forced to remove this shell themselves - with their own hands. In their eagerness, many hobby gardeners forget to adequately protect their “tools” during the process. The result is fingers with a brownish-black discoloration that doesn't want to go away, despite intensive hand washing.
Note: Incidentally, the stubborn brown spots are due to the tannic acid escaping. Even when harvesting (without peeling), discoloration can occur.
Tips and tricks for cleaning your hands
Once the “damage” has been done, there are various ways to get rid of the dirt. Here are some tips and tricks:
- Buy a cleaning paste (€23.00 on Amazon) with fine scouring particles at the hardware store. However, the product is not particularly skin-friendly, so you should be aware of that.
- A suitable peeling from the drugstore is a more skin-friendly option.
- You can also create your own scrub: Mix a heaped tablespoon of sugar with olive oil (enough to form a paste). Rub it into your hands as hard as you can tolerate for pain.
- Many chefs recommend rubbing your hands with fresh lemon juice immediately after gardening (harvesting or shelling walnuts). Simply squeeze a lemon briefly and then massage your hands vigorously with the juice.
- Margarine and butter are also considered effective. Rub your hands carefully with the fat for a good two to three minutes. Then wait five minutes. Finally, clean your hands with warm water.
- Wait two to three weeks without taking any special measures. The skin flakes off - this also removes the dark spots.
Effectively prevent brown fingers in the future
Always wear gardening gloves when working with walnuts. There are also models for latex allergy sufferers.