What 2 nut trees to plant for protein?

[miss_thenorth]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately (I posted a while ago about growing pecans, but can't remember if it was here or on TEG)...& I know they aren't trees, but wondered if anyone has tried growing peanuts? Sorry if this is going off-topic.

I grow peanuts. Super easy. Unfortunately, I never grow enough. My DH loves fresh roasted peanuts and gobble's them down as fast as I can make them

Well heck, SSD, if ya'll can grow them up there, I sure should be able to grow them here! How do you start them? Like maybe from raw peanuts? Or do you have to buy plants? (PM me if you think I'm hijacking the OP!)

Yes, please answer either here or another thread. I am curious also.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Feel free to discuss growing peanuts here .. another good source of plant protein. But my son gets sick when he eats them so not sure we'll be growing.

Great info.

After thinking about it, I think we'll stick with almonds and walnuts. Good dha in walnuts, and I could make almond butter. My kid will miss pecan pies but maybe I can make a walnut version. And maybe I can convince him to eat toasted walnuts tossed in cinnamon and sugar. Will experiment this winter.

Anybody know how to harvest pine nuts? Are then in the pinecones? Guess I should go out and pick some and smash to see!

 

[dragonlaurel]

Hazel nuts grow on a bush, so they would take much less space and you'd have food from them sooner. They are easier to crack too.

Harvesting your pine nuts is a great idea too. If you grow some basil- you could make great pesto sauce. That stuff is usually expensive.

 

[Pirtykitty]

We planted 3 peanut plants this past March. Wondering when to harvest them... Hubby say's he wont' grow them again cause they take up so much room.. I bet he does once he tastes home grown ones !!!!!

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Didn't realize that about hazelnuts.

HOW TO GROW AND HARVEST HAZELNUTS:
I googled "how to grow hazelnuts" and found a gardening blog that still refers to them as trees. 10-15 tall, and good from zone 9 down to zone 3 if sheltered. High in protein and fat. Must grow 2 and no more than 20 feet apart for pollination. THEN it talked about how suckers grow out of the trunk. Drought tolerant. Easy to harvest after they dry, split and fall off the tree. Small growers can easily harvest by raking them up or put down a tarp to collect. Shell then spread it in a well-ventilated area and very warm. Could take several days. All white color will now look darkened. Store unroasted. Can stay in freezer for 2 years or in a lidded-jar in the fridge for a year. OR store in a cool dry place for a couple of months (in lidded-jar). May take 4 years to get your first harvest, perhaps 10 years to get a huge harvest, and will bear possibly 30 years.

Maybe we'll do 2 hazelnuts on the northside of the property. Now, can my goats and chickens eat them?

HOW TO HARVEST PINE-NUTS:
Just checked my pine trees. The pinecones look small but open. Just googled "how to harvest pinenuts from my pine tree" and turns out that the open pinecones means they've already released their nuts/seeds. Dagnabit it! Okay, so here's what I found out: tree should have both closed and open cones. Carefully twist the closed ones off the branch, trying to not get the sticky sap on your hands. Put harvest in a bag. Pinecones have "scales" ... could be 1 or 2 or more nuts in between the scales, depending on species. Heat or dryness helps open the scales, thus releasing the nuts but it will happen over time anyway. To speed it along, spread them on a baking tray, and place in a 350 degree F oven until they pop open. Watch carefully to not burn. You will have some seeds on the bottom of the tray but to get out the rest, you could place the cooled pinecones in a clean bag and shake and bang it against a wall or on a table. Check to make sure you get them all. THEN you need to crack the shells ... kinda like sunflowers. Probably store in the shells until you need them, then crack open then.

No wonder they're so expensive! Not sure my 3 pine trees would bring enough income versus labor to justify doing it to make extra money. Perhaps we'll harvest the pineones at the right time, then put them in paper bags (sealed) and put them up. After a while, they should open and drop their seeds. Then it would be just cracking the shell to access the nuts inside. Might be a good idea to keep in mind for survival-type living!

HOW TO HARVEST ENGLISH WALNUTS:
Good info at http://www.ehow.com/how_5743932_harvest-english-walnuts.html .. didn't realize they can grow up to 100 feet tall!

Can't find good info on harvesting almonds. Anybody have a good non-video link?

 

[Dawn419]

How to grow and harvest peanuts:

http://www.harvestwizard.com/2009/04/how_to_grow_peanuts.html

 

[FarmerChick]

for me it would be simple.
I would find out the best 5 growing nuts in my zone.
then pick the 2 I love to eat.

you could try other varities, and baby them like crazy and hope they do well if you desire.

but for me I go with hardy local trees and take the 2 I would love to eat ALOT!

 

[Beekissed]

Sunflowers.

 

[Neko-chan]

...

 

[dragonlaurel]

Ooooh sunflowers are a good idea. You'd get food that season. They could be providing for years while the other ones got started.