All about nuts...

Since our business begin in late 2006, our nut trees are not yet mature enough for production.  In the meantime, this page serves as an informational resource.

Almonds: A native tree to the Middle East and South Asia, almond is classified with the peach family. People spread this ancient tree throughout the world, having arrived in California, USA during the 17^th century via Franciscan Padres. NOTE: We currently are investigating almonds for our grove, but have not focused on any particular species.

 

English walnut: Traced back to the Old World are, Persian Walnuts (also referred to as English or Common), are a growing industry in the US. California dominates the US market; whereas China is the largest world producer but only for their domestic use. NOTE: We have approximately 20 Persian (English) walnuts grafted onto black walnut stock in our back four acres, about 3 years old now.

 

Filberts (hazel nuts): Originally from southern Europe and Turkey, hazel nuts – also called filberts - were not grown in the US until the late 1800’s. Oregon and Washington states lead as United States producers, accounting for 5% +/- of the world market. NOTE: Our two hazel nuts trees were planted in 2008 from rooted cuttings, close to the house. They have sprouted beautifully full 2 year old trees.

Heartnuts: A lovely shape, the heartnut literally resembles that of a heart, and its nut rich, buttery in taste, smooth in texture. It originates from Japan, whose climate is closely in line with the Great Lakes region. NOTE: We currently have three heartnut trees growing in our yard; one is grafted to black walnut root stock. The two seedlings will be interesting to see if they produce oddities as stated in some articles.

 

Pecans: Part of the hickory family, the pecan is native to North and South Americas. Spanish explorers introduced pecans to Europe, Asia and Africa. Back home, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew pecans on their plantations, whereas since 1919 Texas’ state tree has been the pecan. NOTE: We are still investigating cold hardy pecans for our grove however, it’s imminent we will plant soon a couple of trees at least.

Resources:

• Wikipedia (a, e, f, h, p):
  http://en.wikipedia.org/

• California Almond Board (a): http://www.almondboard.com/

• Stewart and Jasper Orchards (a): http://www.stewartandjasper.com/

• Purdue Horticulture - New Crops News, Spring 1994, vol. 4 no. 1; Nuts with Commercial Potential for America's Heartland (e, f): http://www.hort.purdue.edu/

• Society of Ontario Nut Growers (h): http://www.songonline.ca/

• LEGEND:
  a - Almonds
  e - English walnut
  f - Filberts
  h - Heartnuts
  p - Pecans