HazelnutsOur Harvest is PlentifulMany years ago my husband planted a row of hazelnuts.We ignored these bushes until about a year ago when we began to look and find that they actually did produce nuts. Hazelnuts are grown in all states but commercial production is centered in the States of Washington and Oregon. Commercially they are used in candies, coffee and to make flour. 
The shrub reaches 3-8 feet tall…Ours are at least 15 feet tall. The flowers are produced very early in the spring before the leaves and they are pollinated by the wind. The flowers produce catkins. There are male catkins and female catkins. Today the catkins were already starting to form. The fruit is a nut produced in clusters of one to five and held in a short leafy husk. It is interesting to note that primitive archers used the hazel wood for making equipment. Hazelnuts are rich in protein and unsaturated fat. They also contain significant amounts of thiamine and vitamin B5 as well as small amounts of other B vitamins. Hazelnut flour is good for people who need to restrict their carbohydrates. Today I went to see if the nuts were ready to harvest. I had to put on my hazelnut eyes to see them. The husks seem to hide in the leaves. It reminded me of the times that we would take the children to gather wild asparagus and we always said we had to put on our asparagus eyes to spot them. It is the same with the hazelnuts…we had to put on our hazelnut eyes to spot them. How gratifying to be able to pick a whole gallon! Now our task is to separate the nuts from the husks. The nuts will then be set out on screens to dry for a time before cracking. Or when dry we can keep them in the freezer. The nuts will maintain their quality if frozen.
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