Are Pine Nuts Tree Nuts

Tree nuts such as walnuts, pecans, chestnuts and hazelnuts grow on trees. One of their distinguishing characteristics is that they have a tough outer shell that protects the dried fruit inside the shell. Pine tree nuts are actually seeds that can be found inside a pine cone but since they have an outer shell they are also referred to as nuts. There are approximately 20 species of pines that produce seeds large enough to be harvested for culinary use. The European stone pine, Asian Korean pine, Pinyon pines, the gray pine and Torrey pine are a few of the varieties of pines that have seeds large enough to harvest.

How to Harvest Pine Nuts

Patience is a necessity if you plan to grow a pine nut tree for the purpose of harvesting your own seeds. Proper growing conditions are required in order for the tree to reach maturity and provide you with edible seeds. It takes approximately 6 to 8 years for a pine nut tree to begin producing cones that contain seeds. It takes an additional 2 to 3 years before the cones reach the stage of full development and are ready to be harvested. Harvesting pine nuts is not an easy task. You’ll need to find a way to remove the cones from the tree. You might want to try climbing a ladder and removing the cones, using a tool of some sort to pull the cones off the tree or use a tree shaker to get the cones on the ground. After you have the cones off the tree, you’ll need to place the cones in a warm location so that they can dry out. When they dry out, the outer covering will open and the seed can be removed. The next step in the harvesting process is to crack the shell and remove the edible nut. This is a process that will also require a lot of patience. Knowing how time-consuming growing and harvesting your own pine nuts can be is likely to motivate you to buy commercially grown, harvested and packaged pine nuts. Harvesting pine tree nuts on a large scale is very similar to the method described above. The cones must be removed from the trees and dried either by sunlight or some type of heating method. Once the drying process is complete, the seeds much be removed by hand or machine. The seeds then undergo another drying process and finally the outer shell is removed. There is a lot of manual labor involved in harvesting, preparing and packaging pine nuts. This is the reason they are more expensive than other varieties of nuts and seeds.

Raw pine nuts also referred to as pignolias, have a subtly sweet, mild, nutty flavor. They are a popular ingredient in pesto sauce and baked goods. A sprinkling of pine nuts over a salad instantly elevates the flavor of the salad. The same is true when these delicious seeds are incorporated into pasta dishes, main dishes and side dishes. The flavor of pine nuts can be intensified by toasting them. You can turn snack time a special event by adding pine nuts to your trail mix or mixing them into one of your favorite snack recipes. In addition to enhancing your recipes, pine nuts can be eaten as part of a healthy dietary plan. They contain vitamins, nutrients and monounsaturated fats that support your overall health in many ways. Unless you’re willing to wait many years to grow and harvest your own pine nuts, simply purchase them by the bag and immediately begin enjoying their goodness and reaping their benefits.