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I understand the New Mexico hard shelled pine nut is the tastiest and most nutritious.Next comes the Colorado or Nevada softer shell. It can easily take 12 years to produce nuts.
Are there places full of these pines? They grow at the same altitude as junipers but looking around Bent there are many more junipers.
I used to have good luck finding trees with nuts in the area around the Ruidoso airport/Ft. Stanton. Seems the pines favor a partially shaded hillside - iows, the north slopes. I wouldn't refer to that area as "full of pines" but there are plenty there.
Pinons grow in foothill and mountain environments all over the state but a big beetle infestation about a decade ago has killed a lot of them.
Last year there were quite a few people out harvesting pinon in the Manzano Mountains southeast of Albuquerque so I imagine there are still a lot of trees there.
I've been researching and spoke to our agricultural agent a couple of hours ago. The drought made the trees vulnerable to the infestation. In addition these trees don't bear cones/nuts every year.
They are hard to cultivate as they don't produce for 12 years or more (much more with some of the other varieties).
Good to find 'em and eat 'em not so good to try to grow them.
The public doesn't understand that there are many kinds of pine nuts. They eat the old and often rancid nuts from Europe or Asia and their appetite sours. New Mexico pine nuts have a more robust flavor and are more likely to be fresh.
The reality of a warmer climate is also having an impact - over and above beetle infestations:
Quote:
Piñon pines have experienced a massive die-off triggered by drought and exceptional heat and will be lost throughout much of its existing range with continued climate change.
I've been researching and spoke to our agricultural agent a couple of hours ago. The drought made the trees vulnerable to the infestation. In addition these trees don't bear cones/nuts every year.
They are hard to cultivate as they don't produce for 12 years or more (much more with some of the other varieties).
Good to find 'em and eat 'em not so good to try to grow them.
The public doesn't understand that there are many kinds of pine nuts. They eat the old and often rancid nuts from Europe or Asia and their appetite sours. New Mexico pine nuts have a more robust flavor and are more likely to be fresh.
Yeah, NM pinons have to be harvested wild. No one cultivates them commercially as far as I'm aware.
I'm wondering if you've ever tried buying piñon nuts from the vendor in Tularosa who sells them at roadside, usually on a vacant lot on US-54 near the south entrance to town? I don't know if they are there all the time or just in the early winter after the harvest time. I've never tried buying from them myself.
At one time, m-a-n-y years ago, some local grocers carried them in early winter. Haven't seen them lately though.
The vendor's sign is up but guess cause it is out of season , he hasn't been there. I do look for him/her.
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