Our History - Part 2 Edible Pine Nuts for Northern Climates Our original planting of nut pines were from seed obtained from Europe, and Asia. Specifically from the Countries of Denmark, Sweden, Russia (Formerly USSR), Mongolia, Eastern Siberia, and North Korea. We had picked these countries because we were looking for the hardiest of the nut pines to grow here. The seeds obtained were from areas classified as Zones 1 and 2. Starting in 1975, we corresponded with many individuals, experimental stations, and arboretums. Over the next five years we were able to obtain our requirements from these sources. The seeds we obtained ranged from a few ounces upwards to 15 pounds. They were locally collected from individual trees growing in their natural terrain. Most were at highest altitude which exposed them to extreme weather conditions. After the seeds were received, they were stored very carefully at controlled temperatures. Later they were given the proper stratifications. All of the seeds from our sources required two different types of stratification to ensure proper germination. We prepare the seed beds the year before the planting, working the inoculants into the soil so the germinated seedling will be able to use it immediately. A ¼ inch wire mesh is made to cover the seed bed with it being buried 4 inches in the ground. Enough height above the seed bed is allowed for the seedlings to grow for one year. This is very essential as protection from birds and rodents which will destroy the seeds or seedlings as they germinate. The seeds are planted in the first week of June and in two weeks the first seeds were observed germinating. This continued for another two weeks. The final germination count varied from 85-90 percent. The seed bed was covered with partial shade to prevent the heat of the sun burning the seedlings off for the next four weeks. After this time had elapsed the shading was removed and no damage occurred to the seedlings. At first the seedlings looked very healthy, but they did not grow. Soon some started to turn brown and few died, the rest remained at the same height as they were when they germinated. We looked for help from varieties sources, but were surprised that in North America no one could offer us any help, as apparently few had tried to grow these two species. We remembered some correspondence from a retired chemist from one of the European Countries who had, as a hobby grown some of the Korean pine. He mentioned that by adding a certain natural type of material to the soil would benefit the trees. We immediately gathered some of this material and sprinkled them over the seedlings, this showed immediate results in the seedlings returned to their natural bluish color and actually put on some growth (approx 1/8” growth) for the first year. This was a start, but we knew that if we were going to bring this experiment to a successful conclusion, more work had to be done in this area. Up until now we hand harvest the cones. The cones are covered with a very sticky resin. One should wear gloves when harvesting the cones. The cones ripen in middle October to first week of November, and are easily recognized when they are ready for harvest. While maturing they are a medium green, but upon ripening they turn to a brown color. One can easily tell when they are ripe. Just grasp the cone and give it a light twist and if it is ripe it will separate from the tree. The cones are air dried for 3 to 5 days. In this period the pitch or resin dire, but most importantly the cones open and by shaking it the nuts fall free from the cone. Some nuts need a little coaching but they are quite readily removed. As the trees mature, it is our intention to use a modified cherry tree shaker to harvest the cones. Also the cones would be easily dried in a kiln as the harvest grows in size. Our entire crop to date is sold from our farm. Once the general public learned that we had fresh pine nuts, we could not keep up with the demand. Each year we have a list, the first person contacting us, is of course at the top, and has first choice. After our supplies are depleted, we notify the remaining customers, and their names are put on next year’s list. We also set aside a good portion of the nut seeds for our own use in our nursery. We receive $15.00 per pound for eating purposes, and those that are sold as nut seeds to our mail-order customers we receive from $18.00 to $24.00 for planting purposes. The reason for the difference in prices is because nuts for seed require more care in their handling and storage. We also have a demand for the cones; in fact, the cones are in as much of a demand as the pine nuts. The resin on the cones last for up to 3 years, even although it is dry, and the aroma is one of the most pleasant fragrances. We sell all our cones to craft stores for this reason. The demand is so high, that we have a waiting list up to 3 years for back orders. A few years ago there was an article on edible nuts pines in a well known magazine distributed in North America and after the write up; we were overwhelmed by the request for nuts. We received orders or requests from large chain restaurants for up to 500 pounds of nuts in the shell every month. Unfortunately we had to decline because we could not meet these demands, nor will we be able to for several years. As our harvest increases, it is our intention to invest in a cracking machine that will enable us to start selling the kernels, candied nuts, etc. Such machines are now available at a reasonable cost. To date, we have not encountered at our location any pests, or diseases that have affected these trees. We carefully inspect the orchard at least once a week. In our early experiments, as mentioned above, we have concentrated on reproducing the pines by seed only. We had tried several grafted seedlings in this trial period, but as time progressed we realized that the grafting method was profitable. We also had tried several seedlings grafted onto the rootstock of the Eastern White pine, the trees grew reasonably well, but at the production stage, they only produced filled nuts in the 50 to 60 percent range. We tried several other grafted trees of other varieties, but the results were so disappointing – e.g. Stunted growth, graft failure, etc. We had of course tried these experiments because others had suggested that this might eliminate the need for the inoculants, but these experiments proved out our first thoughts, that these trees will do better on their own roots. Our seedlings were producing filled nuts between 90 and 95 percent, while those grafted on the Eastern white pine were only produced a lower percentage of filled nuts. Also the first production of nuts from our seedlings showed that the nuts were at least 1/3 larger in size than what we had originally planted. We have test trees planted from the 2nd generation of seed, and in a few years we eagerly await what type of seed they will produce, and the percentage of filled nuts. Before leaving the subject of reproducing trees from grafting, we would like to mention that we have selected some superior trees from our original planting of trees based on their production of cones, filled nuts, and lastly on their ornamental value for landscaping. Several trees produce needles that are a very bluish color (similar to some named Colorado blue spruce) and they retain this color all year round. We will be releasing some of these in the near future as name cultivators. We will be grafting these onto Korean pine rootstock. We have several acres planted out to orchards of many of the varieties of edible nut pines. In monitory return per acre on these trees it is best to plant the trees in rows twenty feet wide with spacing of 10 feet between trees in the row. By using this spacing we have found that they produce the most return per acre, especially during their early producing age to obtain the most nuts. After they reach the age of between 20 to 25 years, they tend to start to crowd in the row. At this time we use a tree spade and remove every other tree to a new location. We are able to double the size of the orchard, and the trees moved in this manner will only lose one year’s production. Also this gives us the final spacing of twenty feet between the trees in the row of our orchard. The trees easily re-establish themselves, as they are shallow rooted. If the use of a tree spade will not be feasible, then one would have to cull every other tree out of the row in the orchard to prevent overcrowding. We use several methods to protect the trees and crop from rodents. After the seedlings are transferred from the nursery to line out seedlings, we apply in the fall treated mouse bait containing Zinc phosphide. This bait is coated with wax, and will protect the trees for one year from mice. Where rabbits and deer are a problem we recommend a tree guard. Once the trees start producing cones and nuts, squirrels, chipmunks can be a problem. Although to date we have not had any problems with these, due to the fact that we have many owls, hawks, and other natural predators which keep these away from our trees. If there were a problems with squirrels, etc., we recommend a planting of another crop, (possibly hazelnuts or filberts) a good distance from the pines to attract there attention away from the pine nuts. Another option is to live trap these pests. In later years, after we had obtained the hardiest seed available, we obtained some seed from Japan and South Korea of the Korean Pine. We found, after several growing seasons, that they were only hardy to Zone 4. We still have these growing, but we do not sell or recommend these as they are much slower growing, take longer to produce a crop and produce a smaller nut. Currently the Korean pine is the only producing nut pine at our farm. Due to the difficulties in obtaining cold hardy seeds, plus the many years we have spent developing the correct mycorrhizal inoculants for Korean pine to grow and produce at an early age, our other edible nut pines are still in a trial planting. These include: Pinus cembra siberica (Siberian pine), Pinus siberica (Russian cedar), Pinus cembra (Swiss stone pine), Pinus peuce (Macedonian pine), Pinus armandi (Armand pine), Pinus gerardiana (Nepal pine), Pinus cembroides (Pinyon pine), Pinus jeffreyi (Jeffrey pine). Hopefully, in a few years they will be producing their own crop of edible pine nuts. At the present time they show all the qualities of being just as important as the Korean pine. As we were developing our inoculants, we tried several other inoculants from different regions of North America, but found that none of these worked in our area. We were supplied information that these inoculants were developed for their own areas. In other words, they worked where they were developed, but met with failure when tried in other regions. Once the proper inoculant was developed for the Korean pine, we were able to turn our attention to developing inoculants for each variety of the other edible nut pines. We have received replies and information based on other’s observations, that our inoculants work all across Canada, in the United States, and also have helped these trees grow at a better growth rate in Europe, Asia and other countries. In the next few years, many of the other varieties of the edible nut pines will start producing crops, and information on these will be released at that time. Listed below is a brief description of all the edible nut pines that we have experimented with. Some are in orchards; others are still in test plots. While others failed to survive our winters because of lack of hardiness (those in Zone 7a and up) the germination ranged between 80 to 95 percent. All have the potential as a commercial crop planting with the added benefit as an ornamental and for landscape settings. .