How long can you keep hazelnuts?

Nuts and hazelnuts belong to the most nutritious group of nuts. They contain many trace elements, minerals and a source of vitamins. They are also very high in calories. These nuts can be used as ingredients in dishes, salads and all kinds of baked goods. When eaten just after harvesting, hazelnuts are both fresh and tender with a special flavour. To keep all these properties of hazelnuts, it is important to respect certain storage conditions. Follow these tips to preserve your nuts for a long time.

When are nuts harvested?

Hazelnuts, also known as “filberts”, thrive in regions of the world where the climate is cool and humid. Originally, a hazelnut tree starts to produce fruit at the age of 4. However, it does not really become productive until it is 7 years old. When the hazelnuts reach maturity, their involucre begins to dry out and turn brown. Ripe fruit can be recognised by its brown colour.

In some varieties with a very open involucre, the hazelnuts may fall to the ground by themselves. This is a message that it is time to harvest the fruit from your garden hazel. In general, hazelnuts ripen between the end of September and the end of October of the year.

However, there are early varieties that ripen as early as the end of August. These are mainly the “Aveline de Piémont” and “Butler” varieties. The harvest of hazelnut fruits continues in October with the group of varieties “Bergeri”, “Nottingham” and “Web’ s prize Cob”. The fruit of the hazelnut trees of the “Merveille de Bolwiller” and “Ferwiller” varieties only ripen at the beginning of November. Some hazelnut varieties may ripen early or late.

The walnut tree grows well in temperate climates where the sun is always shining. To enjoy the majestic appearance of the walnut tree, you can plant it in your garden. The husk of the fruit may turn brown, crack and the nuts start to fall to the ground. This is a signal that nut picking can begin. As with hazelnuts, harvesting of walnuts starts from mid-September until October.

The early varieties such as “Ronde de Montignac” or “Marbot” are harvested in September. On the other hand, the walnuts of the “Mayette”, “Meylannaise” and “Verdot” varieties are only really mature at the end of October.

Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and cashew nuts are dried fruits that can be stored for a long time after harvesting. In general, the shelf life of nuts and hazelnuts is 6 months, but this can vary depending on the species.

How to store nuts?

If the optimal storage conditions are not respected, nuts can become rancid and have an unpleasant taste. This is due to the oxidation of the unsaturated oils in the nuts. As a result, the fruit may be inedible. We explain how to tell if a nut is good.

This is a message indicating that the storage conditions for nuts and hazelnuts are not respected. So here are some tips and tricks for storing your nuts well.

The conservation of hazelnuts

When eaten fresh, just after harvesting, hazelnuts have a crunchy texture with a sublime taste. To preserve these properties of freshly harvested hazelnuts, it is advisable to keep the shell around the fruit. With this method, the hazelnut will keep for a longer time. However, to prevent your hazelnuts from rotting, it is necessary to remove the shell. To do this, simply use a hard bristle brush to brush the hazelnuts.

To store shelled hazelnuts, you can store them in racks or crates in a cool, well-ventilated, dark place. It is also important to protect them from rodents. For better preservation, do not forget to stir them regularly to ventilate them and remove those that are damaged. This way, you can consume your hazelnuts as and when you need them. Simply use a nutcracker to break the shell and extract the fruit.

How to store nuts

To find out how long to keep nuts, just do as you did with hazelnuts, nuts are not difficult to store, but their main enemies are heat, humidity and light. You can easily keep your shelled garden nuts fresh by storing them in the refrigerator. For this method of storage, it is important to seal them in an airtight box or in the vegetable bin. It is also possible to freeze shelled nuts to keep them fresh.

Once the nuts are dry, they can be stored in a dry, dark and cool place. The ideal temperature for storing nuts is 20°C. This will keep them fresh for a long time. When the nuts are stored in crates, it is necessary to shake them often to ensure good ventilation. Care should be taken not to crowd the nuts to prevent them from rotting during storage.

Before storing the nuts, it is important to dry them in the sun so that the husk around them can be easily removed. Once the husk has been removed, it is necessary to brush the shelled nuts with a stiff brush.

Tips for cooking walnuts and hazelnuts

There are many recipes for cooking with walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. For garden nuts, you can easily add crumbled walnut kernels to your pasta. You can then add mascarpone or Bleu d’Auvergne cheese. Walnuts can also be used in pastries. Apple crumble with walnuts, walnut pie, chocolate and walnut brownies, you name it.

You can also find pictures of nut salad recipes on the internet. One very simple recipe is to mix rocket leaves, gizzards, pine nuts, some sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts. With a splash of balsamic vinegar, it’s done. You’ll see how impressive this blend of flavours is. Walnuts are also a great addition to warm goat salads. If you like the taste of walnuts in their natural state, you can eat them shelled or toasted in the oven.

There are just as many recipes for garden hazelnuts as there are for walnuts. In fact, hazelnuts are one of the main ingredients in the preparation of homemade spreads. Hazelnuts are also a perfect combination with chocolate for making gourmet spoons, biscuits, cakes and pies. In the kitchen, veal cutlets with crème fraiche and crushed hazelnuts are also a pure delight. You can see beautiful pictures of this dish with hazelnuts in cooking books or groups or on the internet.