Does it need checking? Walnuts are sometimes infested, both in Israel and in the USA. Among the Tu BiShvat fruits, they are among those that are sometimes infested and need checking. (Rav Moshe Vaya)
Rav Vaya’s rating
| USA | ★ | sometimes infested (mi’ut hamatzui) |
| Israel | ★ | sometimes infested (mi’ut hamatzui) |
Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 935 (Walnut)
Which bugs
- Worms and larvae. Signs to look for: silk webs, dark crumbs, larvae in the shell or on the nut, or a nut that looks gnawed.
- Small insects or worms that fall out when shelled walnuts are shaken in a strainer. (Rav Moshe Vaya)
How to check
- Walnuts in the shell: while cracking them, look for silk webs, dark crumbs, or larvae in the shell or on the nut. Check whether the nut looks gnawed.
- Shelled walnuts: shake them in a strainer with large holes over a white surface. Check what falls out for insects or worms.
- Then check every walnut on both sides, especially in the folds, for silk webs, worms, or gnaw marks.
- Chopped nuts: shake them in a fine mesh strainer (a rice strainer) over a white surface. Check what falls out for small insects.
- Pour what is left in the strainer onto a white surface. Check between the pieces for worms, insects, or silk webs. (Rav Moshe Vaya)
Sources
- Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 935 (rating).
- Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha: summary sheet “Tu BiShvat Without Worms: All the Fruits and How to Check Them” (published by Machon Aliya).
Related
References: Rav Moshe Vaya — “Tu BiShvat Without Worms: All the Fruits and How to Check Them” (Machon Aliya, Hebrew)
Source: Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, p. 935
