Now that you know better than to can nut meats (except for green peanuts), what will you do to preserve those delicious fresh pecans, chestnuts, and other nuts? For ease and satisfaction, freeze!

Here are freezing tips specific to a few different types of nuts:

Chestnuts

Select fully mature chestnuts and slit their shells to prevent exploding during heating. Spread chestnuts in a single layer on a shallow pan and heat in a 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, and package in a freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing. If you’d like extra protection, then double-bag with another freezer bag. Put in the freezer.

Pecans

To prevent brittleness while cracking, place nuts in a damp place overnight. Shell the nuts, keeping kernels as whole as possible. Spread in a thin layer to dry for 24 hours, then package in airtight containers and freeze.

Green (raw) Peanuts in the shell

Clean, wash, and rinse fully mature peanuts. Blanch the peanuts in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain, cool, package in freezer containers then put in the freezer.

Raw peanuts in the shell or out of the shell can also simply be packaged in freezer containers and frozen.

Information in this entry comes from So Easy to Preserve by E.L Andress and J.A. Harrison. (2011). pp. 288-289. Cooperative Extension/University of Georgia.