Pine nut season

[jyoutz]

A little Sunday trivia. In the four corners states it’s pine nut season. The pinyon pine produces delicious edible nuts. Native Americans have harvested them for centuries and still do. Nowadays they typically harvest them as a cash crop to sell to local candy makers. They taste a little piney when raw, but have a nice nutty flavor after they are roasted.

 

[Rockbadchild]

We have some beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) they are hard to find (you need to know where to look and you have to beat the squirrels to it)... I haven't harvest them in years.

 

[deserteagle71]

Bumper crop of pine nuts in Nevada also. But ours are waiting for some frost to open the cones. Right now they are bright green, closed...and dripping with pine pitch!

 

[jyoutz]

Bumper crop of pine nuts in Nevada also. But ours are waiting for some frost to open the cones. Right now they are bright green, closed...and dripping with pine pitch!
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Yep, in the Great Basin area you folks have the single needle pinyon, while in the southern Rockies we have the 2 needle pinyon. Different species, but still very similar pine nuts.

 

[oosik]

The chipmunks are busy harvesting the pine nuts from the Ponderosa pines. I sweep the shards and torn apart cones off my porch every morning.

 

[jyoutz]

The chipmunks are busy harvesting the pine nuts from the Ponderosa pines. I sweep the shards and torn apart cones off my porch every morning.

Probably squirrels also.

 

[oosik]

For some UKN reason- almost no pine squirrels out here. In the 44 years out here - I've seen two. Chipmunks are everywhere and into everything. There must be something lacking here for the squirrels.

The pine squirrel is half the size of those I see in the city parks. They are slender, dark in color, bushy tail.

Whatever - the 'munks more than make up for the lack of squirrels.

 

[Oaktree]

A little Sunday trivia. In the four corners states it’s pine nut season. The pinyon pine produces delicious edible nuts. Native Americans have harvested them for centuries and still do. Nowadays they typically harvest them as a cash crop to sell to local candy makers. They taste a little piney when raw, but have a nice nutty flavor after they are roasted.

Must be quite a job to harvest them! I'll occasionally use them when I make stuffed peppers. Never knew they put them in candy.

 

[jyoutz]

Must be quite a job to harvest them! I'll occasionally use them when I make stuffed peppers. Never knew they put them in candy.

The local tribes spread tarps under the tree and then shake the tree branches to dislodge the nuts. Several local candy companies use them to make nut rolls, brittle, fudge, and chocolate nut clusters.

 

[ponytug]

Is there a favored method to crack the nuts?

I harvest our grey pine cones for nuts, but we don't have enough to do much with them.

All the best,

Peter