Recipe: Storing Walnuts

It depends upon how long you wish to store them hwo you wish to handle them. No matter how long, yo still want to be sure they are thoroughly dried so they don't mold.
I like to shell them once dried, then freeze them to keep them fresh.

Here is some info on drying and storing nuts:
Spread nuts thinly on trays or screens and allow them
to dry gradually from exposure to a gentle but steady air
flow. A clean, cool, dry porch or attic is ideal. Nuts
dried this way will not mold. Drying times varies with nut
variety. Most varieties will need several weeks for proper
drying. All nuts except chestnuts contain a large amount of oil which prevents them from drying out completely. Because of their high water and carbohydrate content, chestnuts dry in 3 to 7 days. Drying for longer will cause chestnuts to become hard and inedible.

Dryness test:

-Nutmeats of pecan, walnuts, filberts and hickory nuts
should shake freely in their shells.

-Nutmeats should be light-colored and break with a
sharp snap when bent or bitten.

-Taste should be light-flavored.

-Note: Excessive drying will cause nut shell to crack.

Alternative drying methods:

Small amounts of nuts in the shell can be dried in a
furnace room or even on trays on a radiator providing the
temperature do not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit will affect flavor and shorten storage life. Nuts will be dry in 24 to 48 hours.

Nuts in the shell can also be dried in a food
dehydrator if the temperature can be adjusted low enough.
Follow manufacturer's directions. Unshelled nuts will dry
in 8 to 10 hours in a food dehydrator.

Oven drying is not recommended for unshelled nuts as it
is difficult to keep the temperature low enough and air
circulation is poor.