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| Highland County, Va. (Wikipedia map) |
Researchers in Virginia and West Virginia are hoping to expand the growing industry and introduce a locally known product to a larger audience, Casey Febris reports for The Roanoke Times.
Currently, there's only one commercial black-walnut syrup operation in Virginia. It's in Highland County, which is already known regionally for its maple syrup. Walnut syrup is made about the same way as maple syrup, by tapping the trees and boiling the sap. But because walnut sap contains pectin (the substance that makes jelly gel) the filtering process is more difficult. Black walnut trees yield far less sap than maple trees too, so the finished product is more expensive, Febris reports. Since it's such a rare product right now, a gallon of it can go for upwards of $400 online.
"Mike Rechlin, maple commodity specialist for Future Generations University in West Virginia, likes to refer to walnut syrup as an 'untapped resource.' There’s still much to learn about walnut syrup and the most efficient ways to produce it, but he believes it could be a boon for farmers," Febris reports. "Rechlin is researching ways to increase walnut sap production to make it more economically viable. He’s also looking to make it easier to produce, like finding a work-around for the pectin problem." Rechlin often works with Tom Hammett, a Virginia Tech professor who is researching the viability of different kinds of tree sap as syrup sources. Syrup production could provide off-season income for farmers who grow other crops, they say.
Rechlin said that many who have tried walnut syrup say they like it better than maple syrup, and notes that it could be used in specialty high-end foods and cocktails. "I will say that Virginia and West Virginia could be the Vermont of walnut syrup," Rechlin told Febris.
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