"It's not very green."

Well I stuffed the jar so full with material that it's really hard to see if the fluid is green or not. (I read that it would be) How disappointing! There is a tiny meniscus (crescent) of fluid visible just near the upper edge, that I'm not even going to take a photo of it. And that tiny meniscus shows green.

I could separate this poor jar into two containers. Hey that's just crazy. Maybe later, when it's not so hot out, or when I'm curious/snoopy, or bored, or want to avoid mowing.

OR, after awhile or a week, whichever strikes my curiosity first, I will remove a couple walnuts, although I clearly hate to do that, and make it easier to stir and see into the nocino. (And I pronounce to myself: no-chee-no.) There are no date requirements on this stuff. There's a recipe, but ... that's a guideline. These liqueur recipes are pretty forgiving.

And upon doublechecking, I read from the recipe that this stuff will be ready in about twelve months. I think after a couple months, or whenever I remember I have the stuff, or when it's a nice dark brown color (guidelines, remember?) I will remove the solid material and rebottle it and let it sit further back in some mysterious (read crowded) cupboard until next July 2nd.

Hee!

Chopping walnuts and making nocino

 Making nocino

The recipe calls for 24 unripe walnuts and assures you that rubber gloves should be worn. This is mom's Cutco knife she bought in '58. (The company has a forever guarantee.) It does go through a walnut with a little encouragement. 

That's about 4 walnuts, quartered.

Just snapping photos, I'm so excited about this!

Here we are, all chopped up and stuffed into the jar.

I started to wonder at this point if everything going in here would ... ah ... fit.

Cinnamon sticks and ground clove, because we tend to burn up our whole cloves on Gloria, the woodstove, in the winter. I never, ever, have enough cloves.

The first cup of sugar. 

And wash that down with some vodka. No I didn't measure. :-) 

The second cup of sugar and another application of vodka






























 


And I don't think I have room in here for lemon zest ... or do I? How much room can it take? 

The final product without the lemon zest. I got tired or lazy. There's barely room to shake it up. I did not shake it up as I figured it was an exercise in pointlessness. But ah! Satisfaction of a messy job accomplished!