Ron Avery Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Here in sunny 12 its been a very odd summer, very wet May and cherries were a disaster, but peppers and tomatoes are brilliant, strawberries so so.Onions and garlic were a disaster zone, I tried growing winter sown onions and garlic, smacked wrist, reminder to follow the locals and not follow UK gardening books/programmes. The onions and garlic were a complete waste of time they just rotted in the ground, following three years of enormous crops of summer sowings, well you can only try these things can't you? One bonus today was finding a hazel nut bush, never seen any in 5 years on that tree and the walnuts and chestnuts look good for a bumper crop for Christmas. Anyone know anything about hazelnuts, storage, uses etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassis Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Hazelnuts are a lot of work (cracking) for little reward. We leave them for the squirrels. [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gastines Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 I thought you'd had enough advice about nuts today.Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-element Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 [quote user="cassis"]Hazelnuts are a lot of work (cracking) for little reward. We leave them for the squirrels. [:)][/quote]You must be joking! Hazelnuts are wonderful, you can use them ground in cakes and make praliné etc...They keep very well from one year to the next too, just storing them in open wicker baskets.Now, if you want a real lot of work, try pine nuts!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassis Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 Yeah, all very well in principle, but we've got at least half a dozen hazelnut shrubs. The biggest of the green ones is almost the height of the walnut tree, it's about 8 metres tall and wide! We gathered the hazelnuts the first year as it was a novelty but did nothing much with them. The squirrels have been eating our nuts since - they like them more than me. Every time I shift a pile of wood there's a heap of shelled hazelnuts behind it. I only really like hazelnuts in chocolate praline and Topic bars. And Ritter Sport. We still gather the walnuts but give most of them away, as well. Too many. And I hate shelling nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 [quote user="Ron Avery"] Here in sunny 12 its been a very odd summer, very wet May and cherries were a disaster[/quote]Well, over in 31 our cherry tree was absolutely laden with fruit and absolutely delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 [quote user="5-element"][quote user="cassis"]Hazelnuts are a lot of work (cracking) for little reward. We leave them for the squirrels. [:)][/quote]You must be joking! Hazelnuts are wonderful, you can use them ground in cakes and make praliné etc...They keep very well from one year to the next too, just storing them in open wicker baskets.Now, if you want a real lot of work, try pine nuts!!![/quote]Pine nuts, 5-e, I love them but I only buy them in packets and bloody expensive they are too. So, where do they come from? Please don't say pine trees! We have lots of pine trees and I've never seen nuts on them.But the things that I find a lot of bother and not sure they're worth all that pricking and boiling and shelling are chestnuts. I mean the chataignes and not the marons as we don't have marons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 [quote user="sweet 17"]Pine nuts, 5-e, I love them but I only buy them in packets and bloody expensive they are too. So, where do they come from? Please don't say pine trees! We have lots of pine trees and I've never seen nuts on them.[/quote]Pine nuts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 I am speechless, Clair. I thought I was only joking with 5-e. Didn't really think they came from pine cones.I use the pommes de pins for lighting the fires but I can't honestly say I've noticed the nuts.There is an Italian recipe I use for spaghetti that is always a fall-back when I don't know what to cook and that uses tinned sardines and roasted pine nuts. The taste is wonderful and we call it Peasants' Spaghetti in our house because it's such a simple, robust and tasty dish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Where on earth did you think they came from? [blink] Tescos??? [:(]If you have the BIG pine cones Doux you will find the nuts tucked in between the sticky-out bits as it said in the Wiki page. They are really easy to get out just by tapping the cone on the hearth just before putting it on the fire. You can get dozens of the seeds from a single cone, but as said they are pigs to get at. Our neighbour told me that it is easyer just using a 'ammer, but mind yer fingers!They are lovely fresh out of the shell and, I think, much nicer than out of a packet [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 hazelnuts are really worth the effort- my favourite. Loads of cherries here in East Mids this year - all eten by the blackbirds of course (good rate of pay for the wonderful dawn chorus - but OH not happy!). Load of raspberries and blackberries. Plums galore- now loads of bramleys, but a bit small this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Back to the original question.in 07Cherries - disaster. I got 2 the birds got the other 5.Onions - best crop everSweet corn dittoToms - disaster again due to blight again, but the pots gave an average yield and were not affected. Peppers - poor due to lousey August but the Aubergines did well despite said month's weather.Other crops average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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