I am happy to see that my six years of hard science classes, including a year of inorganic chemistry and a year of organic chemistry can be employed practically. A friend asked my if I had bottled my Nocino and I thought- well no not yet. 1) I have the date to bottle on the calendar and no reminders have popped up and 2) last time I shook my bottle, it was still translucent. I mentioned this and got a blank look back.

It has been a month! Obviously something was not right. After an initial moment of panic that I somehow botched the recipe and WASTED my hard to find green walnuts which are now out of season, I realized the darkening affect of young walnut juice is something you are warned about when you handle them with bare hands. First the liquid is clear then through oxidation, it darkens and stains your skin. Ha! Oxidation requires exposure to oxygen, usually through air. I had placed my Nocino in an airtight container, so no air exposure. On returning home, I promptly removed the lid and put a plate on top. After only a couple of days, viola! It is darkening as it should.