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Why are hickory nuts not sold in stores?
It takes skill and patience to remove the nutmeats without shattering them into tiny pieces. That’s why you won’t find hickory nuts in grocery stores. They are farmers market treasures typically sold only by those who gather and shell them.
How much are hickory nuts worth?
If you buy them shelled out, they’re expensive – about $20 to $30 a pound.
Where can I find hickory nuts?
Look for circular, heart-shaped or oblong nuts that are either slightly flat or rounded. Depending on the species, hickory nuts can have any of these shapes. Taste the nut meat. Several hickory species yield a sweet, edible meat, while others yield bitter meat that one should not eat.
When can you buy hickory nuts?
The best time to harvest hickory nuts is when they begin to fall off the tree. However, you will have to pick them up quickly or you will lose much of your crop to the squirrels. Harvest the nuts as they fall on the ground or shake them out of the trees.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
Hickory nuts are not always the easiest to harvest and eat.
The best time to harvest hickory nuts is when they start to fall from the tree.
Sort the edible nuts from the inedible ones. Immediately discard any hickory nuts that are small, have holes, or are discolored. Put the remaining nuts in a bucket of water. The edible nuts are sinking. Throw away the floating nuts: their kernels are not well filled (possibly because they were eaten by weevils).
Dry your hickory nuts by spreading them out in a cool, dry place. Don’t put them outside or the squirrels will eat them for lunch. Hickory nuts take two weeks to dry, but you can cut the time by a third by using a powerful fan to encourage air circulation. Stir the pile by hand every few days to help the hickory nuts dry evenly.
Sort the edible nuts from the inedible ones.
Stir the pile by hand every few days to help the hickory nuts dry evenly.
Crack the hickory nuts. To do this, place the nut sideways on a hard surface (a brick is best) with the stalk pointing to the left. Hold the nut between your thumb and forefinger, and then use the hammer to strike one of its ridges, about one-third the height of the shell from the stem. Toss the opened hickory nuts in a bucket.
Extract the hickory flesh with a nut pick. Hold the nut over a bowl to easily catch the falling flesh.
Eat your hickory nuts raw or roasted to enjoy their natural flavor. Or use them in any recipe that calls for pecans.
To do this, place the nut sideways on a hard surface (a brick is best) with the stalk pointing to the left.
Hold the nut over a bowl to easily catch the falling flesh.
Refrigerate or freeze unused meat.
Can you eat hickory nuts raw?
Red hickory nuts are round and about 1-inch wide. They have thick dark-brown husks and produce sweet fruit that can be eaten raw.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
Hickory nuts can be eaten straight from the shell or kept in a cool, dry place for many months. Pawcohiccora is a Native American porridge made from the nuts of Shagbark hickory trees, which is where the word hickory comes from.
Hickory nuts fall to the ground throughout the United States in the fall. There are over a dozen species of hickory, including walnuts and pecans. Many share similar characteristics, including leaf structure, stem shape, and average height. While most nuts that fall from hickory trees are safe to eat, some are inedible. Knowing which trees produce edible nuts is an important skill to have, especially if you spend time researching and foraging for food outdoors.
What to look out for when picking hickory nuts
There are many nut trees in the forest and it is important to ensure that what you touch and eat is not poisonous. The trees of the genus Carya are deciduous hardwood trees that grow throughout North America and parts of Asia.
They have narrow leaves characterized by their jagged edges growing from each stem. While some may be rounder than others, most hickory leaves are between 2 and 8 inches long. The leaves grow from the stem in pairs, between 2-9 leaves on the sides and one leaf at the end.
The nuts have a double shell. They have fibrous outer hulls that peel off to reveal nutshells underneath and delicious nutmeat on the inside. It’s important not to confuse other double-shelled nuts with hickory nuts, as some are poisonous. Some poisonous nuts, like horse chestnuts, have similar shells, but the nut meat is different. Hickory nuts have segmented inner nut shells, resembling a walnut, while the horse chestnut looks more like an almond.
Different types of hickory nuts
There are different types of hickory nuts, each with a slightly different look and taste.
Southern shag bark
Southern shagbark hickory, or Carya caronlinae septentrionalis, grows in limestone soil and produces round fruits that are about 1-2 inches across. Covered in a thick dark shell, the shagbark hickory nuts are sweet. Lightly roast them over a campfire to take away the fruitiness and bring out a stronger, crunchier flavor.
Bitter Nut Hickory
Bitternut hickory, or Carya cordiformis, grows in dense, moist woods and produces smaller fruits ranging from less than an inch to 1.6 inches long. The skin is thin and dark, and the fruit is quite bitter. While not poisonous, they are best kept for squirrels and other wildlife because of their unpleasant taste.
Pignut hickory
Pignut Hickory or Carya glabra grows on ridges and produces light brown fruits with thin skins. Pignuts are round and about 1 inch wide, resembling a pig’s nose. The fruit of the pignut hickory is edible but is astringent and quite bitter. If you’re looking for hickory to use in homemade recipes, pignut hickory can also be candied or ground into a powder that’s used in baking, eliminating the bitter taste.
Shellbark hickory
Shellbark Hickory or Carya laciniosa grows in moist forests. Also called kingnut hickory, it produces the largest nut of any hickory species. Its fruit can be 1.5 inches across. The fruit of the shellbark is sweet and covered with a thick dark brown rind.
Red Hickory
Red hickory or Carya ovalis grows on slopes and ridges. Red hickory nuts are round and about 1 inch wide. They have thick dark brown skins and produce sweet fruits that can be eaten raw.
Sandnut Hickory
Sand hickory, or Carya palida, grows in arid areas and produces the smallest nuts, measuring between half an inch and an inch and a half. They have thin skins and light brown skins, and produce sweet fruit that can be used as a substitute for pecans or walnuts in a variety of sweet and savory recipes.
Mockernut Hickory
Mockernut Hickory or Carya tomentosa also grows in dry areas, mostly on slopes and ridges. The mocknut fruit is relatively small compared to other hickory nut species, at only 1.5 to 2 inches, and has a thick dark brown husk. The fruit of mockernut hickory is sweet, but salting and baking the nuts turns it into a savory, salty snack.
Cracking and curing hickory nuts
Hickory nuts that are ready to eat usually fall straight from the trees, making it easy to pick ripe ones. Most of the time, the skins will also break open, making it easier for you to get to the fruit. Once you have collected the nuts, remove and discard the shells.
Next, examine the nuts for weevils or beetles that may have burrowed in and eaten the nut meat. Discard nuts with holes in them, as there is likely no fruit in the nut.
Hickory nuts can be shelled with a nutcracker used for walnuts. You can also use a vise, hammer, or rock to pry open the shell. Black walnuts can be run over by cars; they are so heavy. A vise can be tightened until the skin breaks and the fruit is unlikely to be damaged.
If you’re looking for hickory nuts to eat in the wild, a rock or the handle of your survival knife is the ideal tool for popping open the shell without damaging the fruit. Place the nut on a hard, flat surface, like a tree stump or rock, and hit the shell until it breaks. Then use the blade to pry open the shell further.
Once you’ve cracked the nut, pluck out the fruit with the tip of a knife and it’s ready to eat. Depending on the type of nut you get a different sweetness. You can also store the nuts in an airtight container for months or freeze them for up to a year.
Plant hickory nut trees
Hickory trees are more than just a nutrient-dense wild food source; The trees are also the natural habitat of small game and birds. Planting hickory trees in your yard can help strengthen the local ecosystem.
For hunters looking for a regular source of game, purchasing hunting land with hickory trees can encourage greater animal diversity and build populations of squirrels and deer that love the sweet hickory meat. However, if you hunt with dogs, be aware that hickory nuts, while not poisonous, can cause digestive problems.
Last word
Foraging is an essential life skill to improve, especially when you are in a survival situation. Hickory nuts can be a delightful treat when out in the wilderness or camping with friends.
Knowing the difference between tree and nut varieties can mean the difference between a delicious-tasting treat and a bitter nut. When eaten ripe, hickory nuts are a great nutrient-dense food that makes it worth the effort to get through their hard shell.
Can humans eat hickory nuts?
Hickories have compound leaves with one stem and many leaflets. The green husk around the nut turns brown as it dries and can then be peeled away to expose the nut inside. The nuts produced by hickory trees are indeed quite edible, though some species of hickory nut taste better than others.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
Hickories have compound leaves with a stem and many leaflets. The green husk around the nut will turn brown as it dries and can then be peeled off to reveal the nut inside.
(Clay Wollney)
In fact, the nuts produced by hickory trees are quite edible, although some types of hickory nuts taste better than others. There are four species of hickory here on Staten Island that are fairly common, and the closely related black walnut also produces an edible nut.
Native species of Staten Island include mocknut, pignut, shagbark, and bitternut hickory. Mockernut is the most common. Its name refers to the relatively small amount of edible “meat” inside the otherwise sturdy-looking nut. The Shagbark Hickory, although less common, can still be found here and there. Shagbark hickory nuts are reputedly the best tasting and cultivated varieties to purchase specifically for residential growing and nut production. The pignut hickory isn’t as popular, but the local variety produces quite tasty fruit. The bitternut hickory has one of the less appealing nuts – as the name suggests.
The pecan, which grows farther south, is the only native hickory in widespread commercial use.
Today, squirrels, chipmunks and other wildlife are the main beneficiaries of the hickory and walnut harvest around here. In the past, Native Americans and colonists regularly collected the nuts from these trees, and in some places people still do.
One of the reasons none of the hickories are sold commercially is because nobody made mechanical crackers for the nuts until recently. Opening each nut can be done with a sturdy nutcracker, a vise, or even a hammer. The flesh inside resembles a pecan nut and can be eaten or used in cooking just like pecan nuts.
Although hickories can be found all over the island, they are most commonly found in the forests of Greenbelt and Arden Heights. For the most part they are generally found in mature woodland and often grow in association with oaks, although some, such as
Hickories have compound leaves with a central stem bearing multiple leaflets on the sides and end. Depending on the species and the age and health of the tree, hickories have between five and nine leaflets on each leaf. A field guide is helpful in distinguishing the species from one another, as their leaves are similar enough to make it difficult to distinguish one species from another. Personally, I prefer to identify hickories by both their bark and their leaves.
A number of insects feed on hickory trees. Caterpillars of the Hickory Hairstreak butterfly and Banded Hairstreak butterfly, as well as many moth caterpillars, feed on hickories. In some cases, certain insects rely solely on one species of hickory for their survival. For example, the Angus underwing moth, Judith underwing, and Residua underwing only feed on Shagbark hickory.
Various beetles burrow through the wood or bark of hickories. Some, like Hickory Saperda, Hickory Borer, and Hickory Shoot Curculio, are named for the trees they rely on. One you really don’t want to see is the hickory nut weevil. Their larvae eat through the flesh of the hickory nut, rendering it unusable for harvest. Small round holes in the nut are evidence of their presence.
Besides hickories, the other native trees that produce edible nuts are the walnuts. Black walnut is fairly common on the island. Although they prefer older forests, walnut trees can also be found in residential areas. The white walnut, often referred to as butternut hickory, was thought to be locally extinct until 2006 when it was rediscovered in a wooded part of the Charleston area by Richard Lynch and Ray Matarazzo. Both walnuts are edible, but it takes a hammer to break open the shell, and they contain less flesh than the English walnuts we buy in the supermarket.
The wood of hickory trees is very hard. Hickory wood is used in the manufacture of ax handles and baseball bats, which require sturdy wood that will withstand wear and tear. It is also a good firewood, producing a fragrant smoke when burned, making it popular for curing meat and grilling.
Are hickory trees worth money?
High-quality hickory logs are certainly on-par with red oak species—some instances more valuable, some instances less valuable. This of course depends upon who purchases your standing timber and the quality of your trees. White oak and black walnut are still pretty hot right now!
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
City: Dugger, IN Hey Jay, first of all I want to say thank you for all the great information you provide and the quick responses you have. I was wondering what the market for hickory is? Is it very close to oak? Had marked a wood that contained a lot of poplar a few years ago and I have another wood that contains a lot of hickory. Would that be comparable or would I try and get something more for the hickory? I’m just trying to get an estimate of what I might have. Thanks Aaron extension message from:
Extension Specialist, Forestry
Institute for Soil Culture and Environmental Sciences
[email protected] Jay HayekExtension Specialist, ForestryDepartment of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Hi Aaron: Demand for hickory has improved over the last year. The manufacture of flooring and cabinets is probably the reason for this steady demand. High quality hickory logs are certainly comparable to red oak species – some specimens more valuable, some specimens less valuable. Of course, this depends on who is buying your standing timber and the quality of your trees. White oak and black walnut are still very popular at the moment! As I’ve mentioned throughout this forum, the value of a given species depends on numerous factors, such as: B. Marketing your timber to numerous licensed timber buyers as certain timber buyers have much better markets for your standing timber compared to other timber buyers and not surprisingly these buyers are able to pay much higher stumpage prices; tree diameter; Species; external tree/trunk defects; internal tree/protocol defects; Commercial trunk length; Volume; Contract provisions, etc. Here, too, it is about quality, quality and more quality. If you have quality lumber and know your way around marketing you should have no trouble selling your hickory – you just need to find the most knowledgeable and able lumber buyers! By: Edwin Goddard
City: Magnolia, DE I have several very large hickory trees in my yard. what are they worth Extension message from:
Extension Specialist, Forestry
Institute for Soil Culture and Environmental Sciences
[email protected] Jay HayekExtension Specialist, Forestry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Hi Edwin: I do not rate individual trees through Ask a Forester. However, I must tell you that these trees have little to no commercial value as lumber, meaning no lumber buyer will pay you to harvest your backyard hickory trees. Please contact your state forest service, custom sawmill operator, or consulting forester in your home state of Delaware if you really feel the need to get an appraisal of these trees! [Post a follow-up] [Post in this category]
How long do hickory nuts last?
If you store these nuts at thirty-two to thirty-five degrees, you can keep filberts up to two years. Dry hickory nuts right after you harvest them. After the kernels become crisp, store them in a cool, dry place.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
by Don Janssen, Extension Educator by Don Janssen, Extension Educator
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Several types of nuts grow in Nebraska. Some nut species grow in the wild; However, nuts from these trees are often infested with insects and are inedible. Some of the nuts you can grow in Nebraska include: black walnut, butternut, chestnut, hazelnut or hazelnut, and hickory.
They harvest nuts from most trees after they fall to the ground. Most nut trees are too tall to harvest with a ladder. A fall from the tree won’t hurt the nuts, but it will hurt you! Once a few nuts start falling from the trees, you can harvest the remaining nuts by shaking the tree or its branches with a long pole. As soon as the nuts fall, pick them up quickly.
Shell walnuts quickly after harvesting them. If you leave the shell on, black walnuts have a stain that penetrates the shell, discoloring and deflavoring the flesh. Wear either rubber or plastic gloves when handling black walnuts to prevent the nuts from soiling your hands. Walnut stains remain. Use a corn peeler if you have one to help remove the nuts. You can wait for the shell to darken, then the nut will be easier to remove.
After shelling the nuts, spread them out on the lawn and wash them off with a garden hose or in a tub of water. If you put walnuts in water, the edible nuts will sink. Floating nuts don’t have well-filled kernels, and you may want to throw them away.
Dry the cleaned nuts quickly. To dry walnuts: Lay them in shallow layers, no more than three deep, and place in a cool, dry place with good air circulation. A fan accelerates the drying process. A garage or shed is a good place to dry nuts. Drying takes about two weeks.
Butternuts are treated like black walnuts.
Collect chestnuts regularly when the nuts fall from the tree. If the nuts do not come off the burrs, pick up the burrs. The ridges open up as they dry.
Use heavy leather gloves to protect your hands from the sharp spikes of the ridges. Cure chestnuts in a shady, cool and rather humid place for several days after harvesting. Don’t let the nuts dry out too much. Chestnuts do not store well. You can store small amounts in airtight containers in your freezer. Soaking dried chestnuts in water overnight will soften them.
You must also collect hazelnuts as they fall. Separate the seedless nuts from the good nuts by placing them in water and removing the floating ones. Discard any nuts with holes in the shells; These are infested with insects. After a few days of drying, store the hazelnuts in a cool, dry place. If you store these nuts at thirty-two to thirty-five degrees, you can keep hazelnuts for up to two years.
Dry hickory nuts immediately after harvest. After the kernels have crisped up, store them in a cool, dry place. Weevils often infest hickory nuts. You can remove infested nuts by the water sorting method previously described. If weevils become a problem, crack open the nuts as soon as possible and store clean kernels in the freezer.
Except for chestnuts, all of the nuts described above are high in oil. These oils can go rancid quickly if you don’t store them properly. You can store all nuts in the freezer, but they can take on odors from other foods. To save space, shell the nuts before freezing. Store the nuts in heavy plastic bags or sealed, airtight plastic containers to keep them from drying out.
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County is your online gardening and gardening education resource. The information on this website applies to residents of southeastern Nebraska. It may or may not apply in your area. If you live outside of Southeast Nebraska, visit your local Extension office
What are the benefits of eating hickory nuts?
The benefits of hickory nut may include its potential ability to help with weight gain, protect the heart, ensure healthy growth and development, boost metabolism, increase circulation, calm nerves, and protect your kidneys.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
Hickory nut benefits may include its potential ability to help with weight gain, protect the heart, ensure healthy growth and development, boost metabolism, increase blood flow, calm nerves, and protect your kidneys .
hickory nut
The hickory nut, as the name suggests, comes from hickory trees, all of which belong to a broad genus, Carya, which is made up of approximately 18 species of hickory trees, but the nuts are all quite similar in terms of nutritional composition and potential uses of starch their shells is very different. The various species of these trees are native everywhere from Indochina, India and China to the United States, Canada and Mexico. [1]
Regardless of this dispute, the value of the hickory tree, including uses of its bark, wood, bark extract, and nuts, is widely known, stretching across the globe. In terms of their beneficial effects on human health, hickory nuts not only share many of the traditional values of nuts, but also some unique properties that set them apart. You won’t find hickory nuts at every grocery or health food store because the outer shell is quite difficult to crack open and extract the flesh of the nut, but if you search hard enough you can usually find some.
Once you’ve managed to get to the meat inside, the high-calorie nuts are delicious and worth the extra effort. However, not every type of hickory nut is tasty. There are some that are downright bitter and unpleasant, but varieties like shagbark and shellbark hickory have long been favorites for their culinary uses.
Health Benefits of Hickory Nuts
The addition of hickory nuts provides a unique source of numerous essential minerals, organic compounds, and nutrients, so let’s take a closer look at the many health benefits of hickory nuts.
May help with healthy weight gain
While many people are more concerned with losing weight, hickory nuts can be a great option if you’re looking to gain calories and pounds quickly, e.g. B. when you are recovering from an injury or surgery. A small handful of hickory nuts has almost 200 calories, which is perfect for a healthy snack, as well as a filling serving that will keep your snacking urges down by making you feel full. Oddly enough, this is a snack that can also help people lose weight if they monitor their intake and use hickory nuts as an appetite suppressant rather than binge on these high-calorie nuts. [2]
Can balance cholesterol levels
It’s a common misconception that “fat” is bad, but in fact our bodies need certain “good” types of fat to function properly. A single serving of hickory nuts can contain almost 18g of fat, but only 12-15% of that fat is the “bad” variety. This may mean that hickory nuts can help rebalance your body’s cholesterol and fatty acid balance, promote cardiovascular health, and reduce your chances of developing atherosclerosis or suffering a heart attack/stroke. [3]
Can increase energy levels
With more than 5 grams of carbs in a typical serving of hickory nuts, you can count on a solid boost of energy when you reach for these nuts rather than a sugary snack. Simple sugars can quickly clear your system and promote a “sugar rush” or burst of energy, but this is usually short-lived and followed by a crash. [4]
Can promote growth
Like most nuts, hickory nuts provide an impressive amount of protein, potentially making them a must-have snack for vegetarians and others following a low-protein diet. Animal and plant proteins are vital to our growth and development because proteins can be broken down and rebuilt for our body’s purposes, such as well-being. In addition, the vitamin B-6 found in hickory nuts facilitates protein metabolism, which increases the efficiency with which proteins are processed by the body. [5]
May improve metabolic activity
The B vitamin family has long been recognized as a key element in metabolism and overall body function. Hickory nuts can contain a significant amount of vitamin B-1, which we need to ensure the proper functioning of our muscles, heart, and nervous system. This is the kind of vitamin that’s easily overlooked or forgotten, which makes it all the more important to pop in some hickory nuts from time to time!
Can stimulate bone growth
Magnesium may be one of those versatile minerals that seem to play an important role in many bodily functions, but magnesium in particular improves enzymatic activity in the body, can regulate calcium levels, and help optimize metabolism. The combination of magnesium, phosphorus and calcium regulation makes hickory nuts excellent for protecting bone mineral density and delaying/preventing the onset of osteoporosis and other degenerative bone diseases. [6]
May improve digestion
The combination of natural fiber and specific minerals makes hickory nuts excellent for promoting digestion and gastrointestinal health. It can eliminate constipation and promote regular elimination, effectively reducing gas, cramps, gas and more serious diseases that can affect the stomach.
Word of Caution: As with any type of nut, there are allergies to hickory that can be serious. If you have a known nut allergy, avoid hickory nuts. For selective nut allergies, speak to your allergist or licensed healthcare practitioner before consuming or using hickory nuts in any way. [7]
Can you smoke meat with hickory nuts?
by: no sauce needed meat smoker
I have been using whole hickory nuts to smoke meats for over 30 years. A coworker brought me some in 1983 as I did not even know what hickory nuts looked like. I used them and found the smoke flavor was sweeter than with wood chips.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
by Kyle
(IL)
I need to know, can you use the thick outer shell of a hickory nut for smoking? I have many of these and would happily use them if they were of any use.
Thanks Kyle
HICKORY NUTS AND SHELLS
Using hickory nut shells for smoking
whole hickory nuts for smoking
from: meat smoker without sauce
I’ve been using whole hickory nuts to smoke meat for over 30 years. A colleague brought me some in 1983 as I didn’t even know what hickory nuts looked like.
I used them and found that the smoke flavor was sweeter than wood shavings. Ribs in particular are blackened with smoke, not burnt, and most people who’ve tried them like them without the BBQ sauce.
Smoking with hickory shells
by: CT Raucher
I actually tried smoking with a combination of shells and clams last weekend. Came out pretty good. I’m not an experienced smoker to tell the difference, but the pork shoulder had a nice, subtle smoky flavor.
I didn’t soak them and the shells weren’t all completely dry, maybe a month off the tree so they were brown but not woody. Will try to soak them next time.
Smoking with hickory shells/pods
from: Hickoria
First of all I would like to agree with all other answers. I’ve been using mussels to smoke meat for over 30 years. I’ve tried using them in the grill but have found it difficult to keep them from becoming unwanted fires.
I finally decided to repurpose an old Weber grill. By using an inexpensive electric griddle instead of charcoal as the heat source, I was able to control the temperature and avoid flare-ups. Also, closing the vents actually allowed me to infuse the meat with the most smoky flavor.
I’ve used this process for pork ribs and roasts and brisket. I’m sure any type of meat can be prepared this way.
Coming back to the peel question – not only did I use the peels, but a neighbor told me they used them to smoke salmon, just not sure about the whole process.
Hope that helps.
Smoking
by: Anonymous
We have 3 large hickory nut trees on our property and I was looking for a use for them other than shelling them for the nut meat. I cracked a few and added them to my BBQ grill when I was smoking country style pork ribs.
They burn pretty hot but give off a great smoke and add even more flavor to the meat than the hickory chips you buy. I’ve since collected about a 5 gallon bucketful to use and gift to friends and family.
This is only from one tree, so I’m sure I’ll end up with enough to last all winter (we grill all year).
I’m not sure about the dried outer skins, but I think they smell too strongly of “menthol” to be good in the smoker. At least mine.
great taste
by: Laura
Yes, I like them better than the wood – both nut and shell. They impart great flavor and I keep a batch of these for use.
Do it !
by: Laura
The hickory nuts and outer shell add great flavor, better than the wood I think. We grill with it all the time – just soak it in water for a couple of hours and throw it on the fire.
Shellfish
by: Ohio smokers
Not sure about the hickory shells, but I used pecan shells (soaked in water) for my brisket this summer and it turned out great. I would use trial and error and use a small amount of clams to start with.
Smoking with nut shells
by: Bill
I haven’t tried hickory nut shells myself, but I’m sure they’re safe to use, as is the actual shell surrounding the nut. I would be concerned that the skins could produce a strong, bitter smoke.
My recommendation?
Make sure the shells are completely dry and allowed to harden for a few months. If you are trying them for the first time, only use a small amount. Try it with chicken breasts as their flavor is mild and you can get a good feel for how well the incense burners taste the meat. From there, adjust the amount of shells used.
Can you pick hickory nuts off the tree?
There is no need to try to harvest shagbark hickory nuts right off the tree—they are only ripe after they have fallen to the ground. The next challenge is to collect them before the squirrels do! These nuts are covered with a thick husk that readily falls off in four quarters after they fall to the ground.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
Black walnuts aren’t the only edible nutmeat found in southern Michigan.
With the finally cooler weather, the baking season is in full swing. Pecans are a popular ingredient in many types of bread, cookies, and other treats, but it turns out the woods in our own backyards make an excellent substitute. Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) nuts provide a tasty nutmeat found in most areas of southern half of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
Photo: Hickory leaves have broader leaflets near the top of the leaf. Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org
Even now that most trees have shed their leaves, the Shagbark Hickory is easy to identify. As the common name suggests, the bark of this species is quite distinctive. At maturity, long, narrow strips of bark on the trunk begin to shed and curve outward, giving the entire tree its characteristic shaggy appearance. Although there are other species of hickory that grow in this region (e.g., bitternut hickory, Carya cordiformis, and pignut hickory, Carya glabra), none have this type of bark arrangement. The Michigan State University Extension publishes a simple booklet entitled “Identifying Trees of Michigan” to help identify hickories and other native Michigan species. During the growing season, all hickories can be recognized by their rather large, compound leaves of 5-7 leaflets. They can be distinguished from other tree species with similar compound arrangements to the ash by looking at the relative size of the leaflets. The leaflets on hickories are much larger near the leaf tip, while the smaller leaflets are found closer to where the leaf attaches to the branch.
Photo: The compound leaves of ash trees have leaflets that are narrower and similar in size on each leaf. Photo by Keith Kanoti, Maine Forest Service, Bugwood.org
There’s no need to harvest shagbark hickory nuts straight from the tree—they’re not ripe until they’ve fallen to the ground. The next challenge is to collect them before the squirrels do! These nuts are covered with a thick shell that easily falls into four quarters after hitting the ground. If the shell does not come off the nut easily, let the nut dry for about a week and try again. The nuts themselves are off-white, oblong, and about 1-1.5 inches long. The nutshell itself is very hard, but not as hard as black walnuts. And unlike black walnuts, they don’t need to be cured before extracting the nut meat. Tapping the nut lightly with a hammer to extract the flesh is likely more effective than using a typical nutcracker. Use the hickory nuts instead of pecans in any recipe.
Photo: Shagbark hickory nuts have thick shells that flake off in quarters as they mature and fall to the ground. Photo by Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org
Note: The nuts from other native hickories such as pignut or bitternut are extremely bitter. Be sure to collect nuts from Shagbarks to save yourself a lot of time and effort! The easiest way to tell if you have a hickory nut without shagbark is to look at the nutshell. Only shagbinks have thick shells, while others have thinner, leatherier shells that are difficult to separate from the nut itself. The Wisconsin State Herbarium has additional photos of bitternut hickory properties.
The Shagbark hickory is an important species found in a range of environments from arid uplands (usually mixed with black or pine oaks) to richer, wetter areas. The wood not only serves as an important source of food for small mammals, but is also an excellent source of firewood. Hickories of any kind are one of the best fuelwood species, producing about 16 million BTUs per cord* (about 20 percent moisture content on an oven-dried basis). In addition, the scent of the wood itself makes it ideal for smoking meat. All in all, Shagbark hickories are a culinary delight for both humans and animals.
* One cable = 4ft x 4ft x 8ft or a stack of logs totaling approximately 128 cubic feet.
What month do hickory nuts fall?
The edible nuts grow in a thick, hard ellipsoidal shell or husk. They fall to the ground as they ripen, usually between September and December. When the nut is ripe and ready to germinate or to be eaten, the husk releases it by splitting into two pieces.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
What can you do with hickory nuts?
- Hickory Nut Cake with Maple Bourbon Frosting.
- Hickory nut syrup (boil nuts, water, and sugar to make a simple syrup)
- Hickory nut oil (after boiling nuts for about half an hour and letting the liquid cool, fat will rise to the top. …
- Hickory nut butter (Cooled nut oil is the butter! …
- Hickory Nut Pie.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
Hickory nuts are the highest calorie wild plant food you can find. An ounce of hickory meat has 193 calories! Isn’t that amazing? Native Americans called the nuts and cooked the meat into a hearty porridge. It makes sense; With their high fat content, they are an excellent source of protein and a filling meal when bulk feed is a major part of your diet. I had never eaten a hickory nut before but was happy to learn that they are perfectly edible fresh and raw straight from the shell. We cracked one open to make sure we had what we thought – hickory nuts have a green-brown shell, a double nut shell, and a multi-chambered inner nut shell, much like a walnut. They are sweet, rich, oily and have a pecan flavor. The smell is amazing! I am so grateful that I was able to collect this incredible find.
Are hickory nuts the same as pecans?
Hickory is one of the hardest domestic woods and one of the most commonly used. You’ll often see it also called pecan. The basic explanation is that pecans come from hickory trees; thus, hickory and pecan are the same wood by two different names.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
If you are looking for parquet, you will come across different types of wood. Hickory is one of the hardest native woods and one of the most commonly used. You will also often see it as a pecan. The basic explanation is that pecans come from hickory trees; So hickory and pecan are the same wood with two different names. However, that is not entirely true.
Eight species of hickory
There are eight different types of hickory. Four species are known as “true hickory” and four as “pecan hickory.” True hickory species include Shellbark, Pignut, Spottnut, and Shagbark. The pecan hickory species are pecan, bitternut, nutmeg hickory, and water hickory. There are local names and alternate names for each of these species, but these are the most common names. The confusion arises because a manufacturer might refer to these as hickory.
So if you order hickory flooring, you can get any of these eight planks. However, the origin of the wood could be indicative of what type of hickory you are putting on your floor. The true hickory species are typically found in the eastern United States. They are very common.
However, pecan hickory is not as common. Bitternut is most common in the eastern half of the country. Water hickory is found from Texas to South Carolina. Nutmeg hickory is found only in Louisiana and Texas.
is there a difference
Real hickory tends to be denser than pecan hickory, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that just by touching hardwood boards. Pecan is also slightly less uniform in color. The color of the pecan can be more variable and streaky. This is probably due to the fact that wood from pecan orchards is used in hardwood floors.
In summary, true hickory is a more common wood that is denser and more even in color and grain. It’s probably the more desirable of the two types of hardwood floors. Pecan hickory is less dense and more variable. It also grows faster than most true hickory species. For hardwood floors, pecan hickory is probably easier to work with. However, both can be used to create a quality floor. It is most important that you choose a quality supplier and a good installer. If you are very interested in the specific type, you can ask the supplier. You will likely know the source of their hardwood.
How do you identify a hickory tree?
The best way to identify hickory trees is by their bark, leaves, and nuts. Hickory leaves are long with up to 17 pointed leaflets growing oppositely on each leaf stem. Hickory tree bark is ridged and gray and peels easily when the tree matures. Nuts from the common hickory trees are sweet.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
Hickory trees belong to the walnut family (Juglandaceae) and belong to the carya plant genus. Hickory trees are valued for their hard, dense wood, large, delicious nuts, and sweet, syrupy sap. Hickory trees are common in temperate rainforests in North America and some parts of Asia.
This guide to hickory trees includes descriptions of hickory bark, leaves, nuts, and twigs. Pictures of hickory trees will also help you identify the most common hickory trees in the Carya genus.
Facts about the hickory tree
There are 18 species of hickory trees, 12 of which are native to North America. The most common types of hickory trees are shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) and shellbark hickory (also called kingnut or carya laciniosa). Other hickory species include pignut hickory (Carya laciniosa) and bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis).
Hickories are strong and hardy shade trees that grow in moist soil near streams, rivers, and flood plains. Due to its slow growth, hickory wood is dense and hard.
The common names of hickory species generally refer to the tree’s bark or nuts. For example, the most common hickory trees for nut production are Shagbark (Carya ovata) and Shellbark (also called Kingnut or Carya laciniosa). On the other hand, hog (Carya laciniosa) and bitternut (Carya cordiformis) hickory trees have ornamental value with bitter nuts. There are also unusual hickory species called black hickory (Carya texana), red hickory (Carya ovalis), and sand hickory (Carya pallida).
Hickory wood is sought after because it is tough, stiff, strong and impact resistant. Hickory wood uses include baseball bats, drumsticks, golf clubs, and walking sticks. Also, hickory’s dense character and rot resistance make it excellent for hardwood floors and firewood.
Hickory tree bark
Hickory tree bark has a rough texture with furrows and ridges running vertically up the tree. The long plates of some species of hickory begin to curl outward at the top and bottom, giving the bark a shaggy appearance. Hickory bark is generally gray and darkens as the tree matures.
The bark of hickory tree species can have shallow or deep ridges. In addition, the spaces between the ridges can be narrow or widely spaced. The dark gray bark on mature hickories generally peels off easily.
Hickory Tree Leaves
The leaves of the hickory tree are long and narrow, made up of several leaflets growing opposite each other on the trunk. Hickory leaflets have serrated edges and are lanceolate or ovate in shape with a pointed tip. Hickory leaves are composed of pairs of leaflets with a terminal leaf blade.
Hickory leaves are between 15 and 60 cm long and there is always an odd number of leaflets on each pinnate compound leaf.
Hickory Tree Nuts
Hickory nuts look like green balls that gradually turn a hard light brown color. Hickory nutshells are egg-shaped and about the size of a golf ball. The hard shells encase a deliciously sweet kernel or hickory nut. The hickory nuts are white or light brown.
Hickory nuts are a type of drupe — a type of fleshy fruit that contains a kernel or single seed surrounded by a husk.
The best hickory trees for nut production are shagbark hickories, shellbark hickories, or pecan trees. Although pecans are not called a hickory tree, they belong to the genus Carya.
Identification of hickory trees
The best way to identify hickory trees is by their bark, leaves, and nuts. Hickory leaves are long with up to 17 pointed leaflets growing opposite on each petiole. Hickory tree bark is ridged and gray and peels easily as the tree matures. Nuts from the common hickory trees are sweet.
Hickory tree bark has scaly plates at the top and bottom and curled ends. You can tell the difference between Shagbark Hickory and Shellbark Hickory Bark. Shellbark hickorie bark is smoother and less “shaggy” than shagbork.
Hickory tree leaves are pinnate compound leaves with pairs of leaflets and a single terminal leaf growing on the stem. Shell bark leaves typically grow to 2 feet (60 cm) long, and Shagbark hickory leaves grow to 10 inches (25 cm) long. Also, shell bark leaves generally have more two leaflets than shag bandage.
Hickory nuts are generally sweet and tasty. The shagbark hickory and pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) produce the tastiest nuts or drupes. Shellbark hickory also has delicious nuts, and these nuts are the largest of any hickory species.
Types of Hickory Tree (with Pictures)
The most common varieties of hickory trees are shagbark hickory, shellbark hickory, and pignut hickory. The pecan is another hickory species that thrives in the United States. Other varieties of nut-producing hickory trees are native to Asia.
Here is information on the identifying characteristics of the most popular hickory trees.
Shell bark hickory (Carya laciniosa)
Shellbark hickories are slow-growing, large deciduous trees with slender trunks that reach 37 m in height. Shellbark hickory has smooth gray bark with large plates and narrow grooves in between. This type of hickory has thick branches, sweet nuts, and leaves with seven or nine leaflets.
The mussel bark grows in damp lowlands and damp forests. Unfortunately, clam bark hickory trees are becoming less and less found in their natural habitat. Although the trees live for many years, they grow slowly and are too large for many cityscapes.
Like most hickory species, shellbark hickory has high quality, strong wood. Shellbarks wood is used for tool handles, drumsticks, furniture and sports racquets.
Shellbark hickory trees, like all hickory species, produce flowers. The male hickory trees produce yellow-green catkins. Female hickories produce small clusters of up to 10 flowers. However, the flowers of all types of hickory trees are insignificant.
Hickory Nut: Shellbark hickory is also called kingnut hickory because of the large, sweet nuts that the tree produces. The large king nuts are up to 4.5 cm long and 4 cm wide.
Hickory Tree Bark: Shellbark hickory bark is gray and smooth when young and gradually develops shallow, thin cracks. Unlike shagbark hickory, clam bark stems feel smoother when mature. However, their bark peels off easily and the slabs only have a slight waviness.
Hickory Tree Leaves: Shellbark hickory leaves are pinnate compound leaves with seven to nine leaflets. As with all hickories, the leaves are lanceolate with serrated edges. Shellbark hickory foliage turns a golden brown in fall.
Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
Shagbark hickory trees have bark that is peeling gray, giving the tall, slender trunk a tousled appearance. Shagbarks can grow up to 36 m tall, but their average height is between 60 and 80 ft. (24 m). Shagbark leaves are deciduous and have five or seven rounded leaflets.
The two varieties of Shagbark Hickory are:
Southern Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata var. australis) – also called Carolina hickory. Some consider southern shagbark hickory a separate species (Carya carolinae-septentrionalis).
(Carya ovata var. also called Carolina hickory. Some consider southern Shagbark hickory a separate species (Carya carolinae-septentrionalis). Northern Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata var. ovata)
Shagbark trees have a considerable spread of canopy. The lush green foliage is ideal as a shade tree in parks and streets.
Shagbark hickories are easily distinguished from other types of hickory trees by their bark. Young hickories have smooth bark. In the Shagbark species, the bark develops long, narrow plates that begin to curl away from the trunk. Older Shagbark trees have an unkempt, scruffy appearance.
Although Shagbark hickories look like shellbark hickory trees, their shaggy appearance is their distinguishing feature.
Hickory Nut: Shagbark hickory trees produce tasty edible nuts, which is one of the reasons they are so popular. The tasty seeds are protected by an oval, hard, brown shell. Shagbark hickory nuts taste somewhere between walnuts and pecans and have a sweet buttery flavor. Roasting, drying, or toasting the nuts improves their taste.
Hickory Tree Bark: Shagbark hickory bark is thick and flaky and will naturally flake or peel into thin strips. The shaggy, curling bark on these hickories makes them very ornamental trees.
Hickory Leaves: Shagbark hickory leaves grow between 8″ and 14″ long with five or seven leaflets on a stem. The slightly rounded and pointed leaves have serrated edges that give them a jagged appearance. Shagbark hickory leaves turn golden yellow in fall.
Southern Shagbark Hickory (Carya carolinae septentrionalis)
Southern Shagbark hickory has shaggy gray bark that peels from the tree. Southern shagbark is similar in appearance to shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). The difference between the two species is that the southern shagbark has smaller nuts.
The southern shagbark, also known as Carolina hickory, grows to between 20 and 30 m in height. The shaggy looking tree has a tall, slender, straight trunk with branches high up in the tree.
Hickory Tree Bark: Southern Shagbark hickories have gray bark that peels off in plates.
Leaves of Hickory Trees: Southern Shagbark hickory trees have leaves up to 30 cm long. Each pinnate leaf has five obovate leaflets with finely serrated margins.
Pignut or Black Hickory (Carya glabra)
The pignut hickory tree, also called black hickory or smooth hickory, grows between 15 and 24 m tall. Pignut hickory tree has a straight trunk and a massive, rounded crown. The pignut hickory tree has gray, scaly bark that does not peel off the trunk.
The pignut hickory grows in rich dry to moist soil on ridges and hills. Because of their attractive growth, pignuts make beautiful ornamental trees in woods and open countryside.
Hickory Nut: Pignut hickories grow pear-shaped nuts. However, the nuts have a bitter taste and are not popular with humans. The common name for this hickory tree comes from the fact that pigs and other animals love to eat it.
Hickory Tree Bark: Pignut hickory trees have smooth gray bark when the tree is young. As pignuts mature, the rind develops scaly ridges and deep grooves. No bark shedding is associated with these hickories.
Hickory Tree Leaves: Pignut hickories have smooth lanceolate leaves with finely serrated edges. Each leaf consists of five or seven leaves that turn an attractive yellow in fall.
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)
Pecans are a species of hickory tree with grey-brown rind and thick, narrow cracks. Pecan trees are huge and can grow between 20 and 40 m tall. Her wide 75 foot (23 m) canopy provides plenty of shade underneath. Pecans are famous for their delicious nuts.
Pecans or drupes are a rich brown color and grow in a thin shell that divides into four sections. The nuts are oblong in shape and have a distinctly buttery flavor with a waxy texture.
Pecan Tree Bark: Pecan trees have reddish-brown or gray bark with shallow scales and deep fissures.
Pecan Tree Leaves: Of all hickories, the pecan tree leaves are much more pointed. Usually up to 15 leaflets on each leaf, giving pecan leaves a fern-like appearance.
Mocknut Hickory (Carya tomentosa)
Mockernut hickory trees have thin gray bark with deep narrow grooves. Mockingnuts grow to between 18 and 24 m in height, have a rounded crown and produce nuts that are difficult to crack open. Mockernut trees have compound pinnate yellowish-green leaves. The mocking nut is also known as white hickory.
Hickory Tree Bark: Mockernut hickory trees have gray bark characterized by long vertical cracks that are closely spaced. Some mature mockernut trees have bark that has a tendency to peel.
Hickory Leaves: Mockernut hickory leaves have five ovate-lanceolate leaflets that are slightly serrated at the edges.
Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis)
Bitternut hickory trees have large pinnate leaves, slender green branches, and greyish bark with diamond patterns. Bitternut hickories grow up to 35 m tall and have an irregularly oval crown.
Hickory: Bitternut hickories produce inedible, bitter-tasting nuts.
Hickory Tree Bark: Bitternut hickory bark starts out smooth and gray before turning greyish-brown with ridges as the tree matures. Unlike other hickory species, bitternut rind rarely peels.
Hickory Leaves: Bitternut leaves are light green with five to nine broad leaflets on each petiole. These hickory tree leaves turn golden yellow in the fall.
Red Hickory (Carya ovalis)
Red hickory trees have a single, straight trunk with gray bark and flaking plates. Red hickories grow on slopes and ridges in dry, sandy soil. The medium-sized to large shade trees can reach a height of 30 m.
Hickory Nut: Red hickories produce small oval nuts that vary in flavor from bitter to sweet.
Hickory Tree Bark: Red hickory trees have gray bark with flat ridges separated by a thin fissure. Red hickories that grow quickly tend to have bark that peels off at the trunk and curls outward.
Hickory Leaves: Red hickory leaves typically have seven smooth, shiny leaflets with finely serrated edges.
Sand hickory (Carya pallida)
Sand hickory trees have smooth bark with shallow furrows in a web-like pattern. Sand hickories are slow-growing deciduous trees that grow to 80 feet (24 m) tall. Sand hickory trees are characterized by glossy pinnate leaves with pointed leaflets and small edible drupes.
Scrub Hickory (Carya floridana)
Scrub hickories are tree shrubs that can only grow 5m tall. However, some bush hickory trees can grow up to 25 m tall. These small hickory trees have 12″ (30 cm) leaves with seven broad, pointed leaflets. Scrub hickories produce small edible drupes.
Scrub hickory got its botanical name Carya floridana because this tree is native to the southeastern United States and is endemic to central Florida.
Nutmeg Hickory (Carya myristiciformis)
The nutmeg hickory tree has a brownish-grey bark that tends to peel off in sheets. Nutmeg hickories are one of the rarest native hickory trees. These hickories have glossy green leaves with a silvery underside. The round nutshells are reddish brown with patterns resembling nutmegs, and their kernels are sweet.
Nutmeg hickories grow to 100 feet (30 m) tall and only grow in scattered populations in some of the southern states.
Black Hickory (Carya texana)
Black hickory trees have dark bark with diamond-shaped ridges and a smoother appearance than Shagbark hickories. The pinnate black hickory leaves have three pairs of lanceolate leaflets and a single terminal leaflet. The leaves are glossy green with dull undersides and slightly jagged edges.
Black hickories are small, slow-growing trees that reach about 15 m in height.
Learn how to identify hickory nuts and how to harvest them.
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Introducing the One-and-Only Hickory Nut!
Hello, I’m Ryan and I’m selling you the tastiest nut there is: the hickory nut.
Man, do I love hickory nuts! There is no other nut that compares.
Eat them raw
You can bake with them
Make a delicious milk
make syrup
Use the clams to smoke meat
I even draw hickory nuts in my free time!
I like making a big pile of this and popping it in my mouth!
These hickory nuts were harvested in the fall of 2021 from the 500+ hickory trees I have mapped.
I lovingly separate the Grade A nuts. You can read more about the process here or watch my YouTube channel where I share my experiences harvesting, processing and selling hickory nuts.
Shagbark hickory nuts
Shagbarks are on sale!
To purchase, simply select the “Select Options” button below.
I do not sell shelled hickory nuts! Unfortunately, I do not currently sell shelled hickory nuts. I really wish I had! As you probably know, shelling hickory nuts is work. There’s just no way around it. I deal with hundreds of pounds of hickory nuts each season. It’s just not economical for me to shell the nuts. I think the lengthy peeling process is one of the main reasons we haven’t seen them in the grocery store. Well, I’ve eaten a lot of hickory nuts and I’m learning the most efficient way to process them. Right now, for Shagbarks, it’s Texas’ York Nut Sheller. One of my main goals with this business is to find a way to mechanize the hickory nut shelling process. I’ll channel my inner Buckminster Fuller and try to invent something. I’ll get back to you soon. When you see hickory nuts at the grocery store, just know I did! ⬇ Sign up for annual notifications ⬇ Simply enter your email address in the field below to sign up for the annual notification. Every fall when the hickory nuts are ready to ship, I’ll email you to let you know. Simply enter your email address in the field below to sign up for annual notifications. Every fall when the hickory nuts are ready to ship, I’ll email you to let you know.
Call me at 610-910-9764 with any questions (you might have better luck emailing me).
FAQ
Want to learn more about hickory nuts? Or about what I offer? This is a new page on my website, so please be patient while I build it.
Go to the FAQ page =>>
⬇ Here are some supplies ⬇
How do you get that goodness in you?
Delicious! Nutritious! Harvested wild! As natural as it gets! Hickory Nuts!
Ben loves hickory nuts!
Why do hickory nuts command a premium price?
They taste amazing, similar to a maple flavored pecan (hickory nuts and pecans are in the same genus)
The nuts are rich in magnesium and iron
Shellbarks prefer to be near water
They pay special attention to where they grow (limestone)
The trees need 25 years before they bear fruit
The harvest window is short (a few weeks)
They are not commercially available
Harvesting is manual and time-consuming
Processing is manual and even more time-consuming
You must defeat the chipmunks that are racing with the squirrels!
Hickory nuts are a treat worth digging for
Squirrels aren’t the only ones scrambling for nuts this time of year.
Linda Schaalma and her 88-year-old father, Ray Pamperin, have made it their mission to stay one step ahead of the bushy-tailed scavengers in early fall to forage for wild hickory nuts from Shagbark hickory trees in Dodge County, where they – and the squirrels – make their home.
Schaalma collects the nuts, Pamperin shells them, and they sell them online for $24 a pound.
“It’s a pastime,” said Pamperin, who turns 89 in December. “Time goes by so much faster when you’re doing something. And the nut business helps pay the bills.’
Hickory nuts aren’t exactly rare, but foodies consider them valuable and even endangered. That’s because shelling the sweet, rich delights is labor-intensive, and there aren’t many people like Pamperin left in Wisconsin who are willing to spend tedious hours cracking open the shells and carefully digging out the perfect, heart-shaped nutmeat halves.
It takes skill and patience to remove the kernels without breaking them into tiny pieces. That’s why you won’t find hickory nuts in grocery stores. They are farmer’s market treasures, usually sold only by those who collect and peel them.
Pamperin shells the nuts every day, year-round, in the sun room or on the front porch at Juneau Terrace, the assisted-living center he names in Juneau, a few miles south and west of Horicon Marsh. The nut shop – Ray’s Hickory Nuts – is named after him.
“Some days they give me time off, like holidays,” the retired dairy farmer said with a chuckle. Otherwise, he usually takes a break from shelling nuts just to go to dinner and take a nap, his daughter said.
Schaalma brings him orders from her website www.rayshickorynuts.com. “We’ll fill them while I open them,” Pamperin said. (Note: If you wait until the end of November to place your holiday order, you’re out of luck.)
“People ask if I get tired doing it,” Pamperin said. ‘I don’t.’
He wears a wrist brace because he has a carpel tunnel in his fingers. But his hands are strong and well matured from decades of farming.
Last year he and his daughter sold £800. That’s a lot of nuts to squirrel.
They also sell some butternuts, which are harder to find than hickory nuts because butternut trees are dying due to disease, Schaalma said.
Schaalma’s hickory nut hunting grounds surround Juneau, a quaint town of fewer than 3,000 people. Many of the hickory trees were accidentally planted by squirrels who buried nuts for winter food and forgot them. Others were spared the chainsaw decades ago when farmers cleared land for crops because they were scattered along fence lines.
The family knows many farmers who are happy to give them permission to remove nuts that fall from trees on their land. It’s easy to spot a Shagbark hickory tree because, as the name suggests, the bark is shaggy.
Ray’s Hickory Nuts customers include James Beard Award-winning chef Odessa Piper, who founded the L’Etoile restaurant in Madison, and Deborah Madison, a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author. Both are longtime advocates of regional foods.
Milwaukee philanthropist and foodie Lynde Uihlein was dying to order a pound of hickory nuts last week when she found out about the site. She remembered Pamperin from his days selling hickory nuts and produce at the Dane County Farmers Market, which he stopped frequenting a few years ago after his wife Virgelia died.
Uihlein, a strong advocate of local and organic food, said she appreciates what it takes to coax hickory nuts out of their shells in perfect halves.
“Those of us who do some sort of mindfulness training might quit yoga if we just started cracking nuts during the winter,” she said. “And then we would have a product.”
Ray’s Hickory Nuts Shagbark Hickory Nuts are included in Slow Food USA’s “Ark of Taste,” a catalog of more than 200 foods in danger of extinction. Slow Food is an international grassroots movement that combines the enjoyment of food with a commitment to community and the environment.
The father-daughter duo receives many letters from grateful customers.
“Please thank your father for all the time and love he puts into his rewarding work for others to enjoy,” Cascade’s Alverna Filter recently wrote. She included a recipe for the hickory nut fridge cookies with her nut order, which she ships to her soldier grandson, Brandon. He serves in the Middle East, and this cookie is the only one he and his sergeant are requesting, Filter said.
Hickory nuts pair well with cheese and can substitute for pecans or walnuts in pies, cakes, and cookies. Their presence is unmistakable in a recipe. Roasted hickories have a sweet flavor reminiscent of caramel corn.
L’Etoile chef and co-owner Tory Miller serves guests a complimentary hickory nut canapé — a tradition started years ago by Piper as a tribute to those who still shell hickory nuts.
The canapé consists of a homemade piecrust cracker studded with ground hickory nuts. It is rolled out thinly and baked in a diamond shape. Miller tops each cracker with herbed goat cheese and a perfectly toasted hickory nut.
“Cracking hickory is like a lost art, so we serve a whole nut half on top of the cracker,” Miller said. “That’s called perfecto.”
Miller also makes a brown butter sauce for drizzling over trout that gets its earthy sweetness from toasted hickory nuts and ground cherries.
He compares the taste of the hickory nut to a Brazil nut with a slight pecan flavor.
Madison, the cookbook author, bought a pound of hickory nuts at Ray’s a few months ago. She recalled trying Pamperin’s nuts years ago at the Harvest restaurant in Madison, when chef and owner Tami Lax served them toasted with Pleasant Ridge Reserve’s acclaimed buttery, nutty Wisconsin cheese.
Madison last bought hickory nuts to create recipes for a cookbook she is writing about fruit desserts. She’s working on a mixed nut tart with walnuts, pecans, and hickory, and is also considering mixing it into shortbread cookies.
When asked to compare the taste of a hickory nut to other nuts, Pamperin said, “It’s like buying a Cadillac, or a Ford, or a Chevy.” A hickory nut is the Cadillac, a pecan is the Ford and a walnut is the Chevy, he said.
Pamperin, who has been cracking and selling hickory nuts for more than a decade, has devoted his life to food production.
After retiring from the dairy industry, he and his wife founded Ray’s Green Market in 1979. Over the years, they sold vegetables and berries from their home near Juneau and at farmers’ markets in Madison, Juneau, Horicon, West Bend, and Fond du Lac.
When they moved into town, they narrowed it down to just a few berries and wild-foraged nuts. Schaalma began attending the Dane County Farmers Market with her father when her mother’s health was declining.
Pamperin feared he would have to give up shelling nuts if he moved into assisted living. “But they brought my table and chair over here, and I cracked again.”
He doesn’t train anyone to follow in his nut-cracking footsteps. Schaalma said it’s a common question among customers: Who shells their beloved hickory nuts when Pamperin can’t anymore?
“It took my husband and I forever to crack a pound,” she said. “I don’t know if I have it in me.”
recipes
Linda Schaalma and her father Ray Pamperin are busy this time of year collecting and shelling hickory nuts to sell online. Shaalma collects them; Pamperin cracks them. The first two recipes are family recipes. Linda’s mother, Virgelia Pamperin, was known for this hickory nut cake.
Hickory Nut Cake Makes 12 to 16 servings
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 ½ cups sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped hickory nuts
5 egg whites, beaten until stiff
Hickory Nut Filling (see recipe)
Cooked icing for covering 3 tier cakes
Additional hickory nuts for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three (9 inch) round cake pans.
Prepare the cake: Cream the butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar. Sift flour again with baking powder and salt. Add to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with the milk to which the vanilla has been added. Add the nuts and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cake tester inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pans on the wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the pans and allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the sides and remove from the pan.
Prepare hickory nut filling. Transfer a cooled cake layer to a serving platter, cover with half of the filling, then another layer, the remaining filling, and finally the final cake layer.
Prepare cooked icing. Pour over the cake and spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Work fast; The glaze will crease once it’s set. If the frosting isn’t whipped long enough, it will leak; If whipped too long, it will not become smooth. Frosting that is beaten too long can be improved by adding a few drops of lemon juice or boiling water. Note: This glaze is soft and has a glossy finish. If you’re decorating the cake with nuts, place the nuts on top of the icing once it’s spread.
Hickory Nut Filling:
3 cups of sugar
1 cup light cream or half and half cream
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped hickory nuts
For the filling, cook the sugar, heavy cream, and corn syrup in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the candy thermometer reads 238 degrees, or a soft ball forms when immersed in cold water, about 12 to 15 minutes . Add butter and let cool. Beat with mixer on high until creamy. Stir in nuts.
Here’s another Schaalma family recipe for a cake that substitutes pecans for hickory nuts:
Hickory Nut Pie Makes 8 servings
Pastries for a (9-inch) deep-dish pie
3 eggs
1 skimpy cup of light corn syrup
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or ½ teaspoon maple flavor
1 heaping cup roughly chopped hickory nuts
Sweetened whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour batter into a 9-inch deep bowl cake pan.
Lightly beat eggs in bowl. Add corn syrup and melted butter; beat well until smooth. Stir in brown sugar, maple syrup, and nuts; mix thoroughly. Place the cake pan on the baking sheet and pour the filling into the cake pan; If it gets too crowded, add the last cup after placing the pan in the oven.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until the center sets. Nuts will have risen to the surface. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate thoroughly. Serve with whipped cream.
Cascade’s customer Alverna Filter recently shared this recipe for a crunchy and nutty shortbread biscuit with Schaalma. Filter told Schaalma in a note with her hickory nut order that she is making these cookies to ship to her grandson, who is serving in the military in Iraq.
Hickory Nut Fridge Cookies Makes about 4 dozen
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped hickory nuts
Cream the butter in a bowl. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Beat in the sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt, then hickory nuts. Halve and shape into two sticks. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Also wrap in plastic for longer storage or to freeze.
When you are ready to bake cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into 1/8 inch thick slices and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the bottom is light golden.
Note: These freeze well both before and after baking.
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This recipe from a medicinal herb and wild foods website, www.prodigalgardens.info, uses both hickory nuts and maple syrup to flavor apple crisps.
Maple Hickory Apple Crisp Makes 15 servings
8 cups sliced apples (9 or 10 medium apples)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (divided)
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup water or apple juice
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup hickory nuts (or chopped walnuts)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
¼ to ½ cup pure maple syrup
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
Peel, core and dice the apples. In a large bowl, mix the apples with the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the flour. Place in prepared pan and add ½ cup water or apple juice.
Coarsely chop the rolled oats in a food processor or blender. Add the flour, brown sugar, the remaining 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and the nuts to the oatmeal. Pulse until thoroughly mixed. Add butter and mix until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. (The filling may appear too wet and resemble a paste – don’t be discouraged if this happens, just spread it out as evenly as possible; it will be fine.)
Spread the topping evenly over the sliced apples. Drizzle maple syrup over the topping.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the topping is brown and the apples are bubbling. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if you like.
—–
Fall is here and it won’t be long until Thanksgiving. Here’s a venison stuffing recipe, also from www.prodigalgardens.info/index.htm, for use with chicken or turkey (double the recipe if stuffing a turkey).
Hickory Wild Rice Filling Makes 12 servings
water
1¼ cups dry wild rice
8 ounces ground sausage (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
2 large celery ribs, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chopped hickory nuts
Following the directions on the wild rice packet, cook the rice until very tender.
If using, pan fry the sausage and shred with a spoon until well done. add rice. Add the butter, onion, and celery to the sausages in the pan and sauté until tender. Add the fried ingredients to the rice and sausage mixture along with salt, pepper and nuts. Mix well.
Use to stuff a chicken or turkey (¾ cup per pound of poultry), then roast accordingly until meat is done and stuffing has reached 165 degrees. (Or place in a 13 x 9 inch greased casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until completely hot.)
Variation: If desired, add about 1 cup sliced mushrooms and/or 1 cup diced apples or cranberries.
In season: Hickory nut is buttery, sweet and hard to beat
In Season: Hickory is buttery, sweet, and hard to beat
If you’ve never tried hickory nuts, you owe it to yourself to try them. The fall crop is sufficiently dried and cured and now is its peak season.
They are not available in our stores, so you have to buy them online. But there, especially on eBay (ebay.com/bhp/hickory-nuts), your cup will be overflowing with these choicest of wild American nuts.
If you buy them empty, they’re expensive – around $20 to $30 a pound. That’s because the nut meat is fiendishly difficult to separate from the thick shells that encase the meat in swirling chambers of bone-hard material. Processors use machines to break open the hard shells, but pieces of shell will inevitably get through the process, and so the kernels must be hand-picked – sometimes many times – to ensure the pieces of shell are completely removed.
They’re also sold as unshelled nuts on eBay and elsewhere, usually for around $5 to $8 a pound, but be aware that prying a cupful of nutmeat out of their bony chambers will take you a good hour, unless , you are lucky enough to have nuts from the rare tree that is genetically generous enough to produce nut shells that are easy to pick. “Rare” is the keyword, but such trees do exist.
The taste of the nuts is incomparable. Think hickory smoked meat. What makes smoking hickory so good is the rich, intense flavor imparted by the perfumed smoke. Hickory nuts are the nut world’s equivalent of smoking hickory.
Pecans are a southern cousin of hickory, and while their flavor is delicious, they pale in comparison to freshly shelled hickory nuts, whose volatile oils and esters make them so unique. No other nut comes close, except perhaps the intense black walnut, whose flavor, though deep and rich, has a dark and slightly bitter edge, in contrast to the buttery sweet and light, richly nutty hickory.
If you’re old enough, you might remember a TV commercial for Grape Nuts granola in which the late wild collector Euell Gibbons claimed that the granola “tasted like wild hickory nuts.” That was nonsense—marketing gibberish—and Gibbons, who I worked with at Organic Gardening magazine and knew well, ruined his reputation as a wild-food fortuneteller even as he banked his earnings.
There are 19 species of Carya—the genus that includes hickory, pecan, butternut, and other wild nut trees east of the Rocky Mountains. The two tastiest and most important types of hickory are shagbark and shellbark, with shagbarks — so named for the shaggy bark that sheds from tree trunks in long, rough sheets — having a slight flavor advantage. Both species grow wild in the northern Midwest to the mid-Atlantic states, so your online vendors can be located anywhere from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. Any place in this area is fine.
When buying nuts online, look for freshly shelled or even better, for the best flavor, unshelled shagbark nuts. They should be raw, not roasted or dried. Buying them unpeeled will not only save you some money, but you’ll get the full flavor when they come out of the shell.
The easiest way to crack unpeeled hickory is with two bricks. Some try using a hammer, but that usually results in hard nuts flying around the room without cracking. Once you’ve broken the clams into halves or pieces, use locking pliers called screw handles and nut picks to get the meat out of the clams.
It takes some work, but what else do you have to do when you’re watching your favorite shows on TV on a cold winter night?
All this chatter might not be something you would do more than once, but experiencing this queen of all American nuts puts you in touch with countless thousands of Native Americans who have used it as an important food source for tens of thousands of years, and with the Boars, squirrels, mice, wood rats and other animals that followed suit. Squirrels have been known to selectively pick Shagbark hickories from among shellbarks, pignuts, and other hickory relatives and carry them to secret lairs where they enjoy them during the winter.
Hickory nuts are packed with essential fatty acids, heart-healthy oils, trace minerals, and antioxidants. They’re wonderful as a snack on their own, so much so that the biggest problem with them is that you’ll gobble them up as fast as you spend them, leaving nothing to prepare other dishes.
One such dish is cornmeal hickory porridge, which is made by crushing hickory nuts in a mortar and pestle into a coarse paste, placing in a saucepan with one cup of water per half cup of paste, and gently heating until a milky broth arises. Add the cornmeal to the hot broth until it thickens, then sweeten with maple sugar to taste. It’s the best grits you’ll ever have.
Or, instead of pecans, make hickory nut cake. Or add them to your chocolate chip cookies – oh boy, that’s a treat. The problem, however, is that the rich flavor of the chocolate bury some of the nuances of the nutty flavors. In that case, you might want to add them to a more neutral-flavored cookie. Here’s a recipe.
Wild Hickory Nut Shortbread Cookies
Makes 40-48 biscuits
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh hickory nut meat, coarsely and finely chopped
Cream the butter with a wooden spoon until fluffy and fluffy.
Add the orange zest and salt and mix in.
Add the flour, sugar and vanilla and mix in.
Stir in nuts. The dough should hold together but be dry.
Shape the dough into a 2×12 inch block, wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Position racks in middle positions. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line the bottom of two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut the dough into 1/4-inch coins and place them on the baking sheets, leaving an inch between the coins in all directions. Bake for six minutes, then rotate the pans, switching the top pan to the bottom rack and the bottom pan to the top rack. Bake an additional six minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown. Cool.
Jeff Cox is a Kenwood-based food and gardening writer. You can reach him at [email protected].
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