Once you see the hard work that goes into shelling pine nuts, you might
be better able to appreciate the price tag that often comes with them.
True to their name, pine nuts are the edible seeds of various species of
pine that come in the pine cone, surrounded by a hard shell. To
shell pine nuts, you have to remove the outer hard shell that surrounds
them. Depending on the variety of pine nut you're working with, this
can take quite a bit of work, but it will be worth the effort. If you're looking to gather your own pine shells, then you should know
that it's a lengthy process that can take months. Here's what you have
to do. For the gray pine, you should collect the cones in September or October
and keep them in an airy, but dry place, such as a garage. The cones
should still be tightly closed at this point. Wait for the cones to slowly open, revealing their nuts. Then, bang the cones around in a gunnysack until all of the nuts fall
out. Alternately, you pick them out by hand, if you don't mind getting
resinous pitch stuck to them. Toss out the winged part of the shell that connects the shell to the cone.Remove any nuts with holes in them; this means bugs have gotten to them. It's important to know which type of pine nut species you're dealing
with. Pine nuts can have soft or hard shells, and hard-shelled nuts
shouldn't be cracked with your teeth, or you could hurt yourself. The New Mexico pinon pine nut. This is a buttery nut that is wild
and hand harvested. These are the most valuable pine nut in the world
and they have a hard shell that is too hard to crack with your fingers
or teeth. The Italian Stone pine. This nut is popular in Europe and throughout the Mediterranean. It is a longer, rounder nut. The Chilgoza pine nut. These nuts are typically found in
Afghanistan or Pakistan and they are long and boat-shaped with a sharp
end. They are typically shelled by roasting over an open fire; they are
more rare. The gray pine nut. Typically found in Northern California, these nuts have a bit of a softer shell. The Nevada pine nut. These are sweeter, fruitier, larger, and easier to shell. Unshelled nuts have a long shelf life if they are kept refrigerated, so
make sure you place them in the fridge if you don't plan on shelling
them right away. We keep our pine nuts in shell their natural "packaging". This preserves all their goodness and flavor. You get our pine nuts as they come from the tree. Absolutely nothing added.
