The gardening gourmet - Review

Flower & Garden Magazine, Nov, 2001 by Kristen Prebich

* INTERNATIONAL POTATOES

* TART APPLE ALMOND PIE

* CRANBERRY JELL-O SALAD

* BLUE CHEESE AND TOASTED PECAN SPREAD

Happy autumn, readers! I can't speak for all of you, but I truly believe this summer was a great season in the garden. Fresh fruits and vegetables filled my kitchen and made their way into so many time-tested as well as new recipes. However, for many of us, with the trees now showing their best colors and crispness in the air, it only means one thing--the holiday season is right around the corner! I'm already scouring my cookbooks and choosing recipes for my upcoming holiday feasts. There are still many fresh ingredients available--apples, squash and pumpkins--to incorporate into our recipes. For this month's Gardening Gourmet, I chose an ingredient that some of you may not even realize is a fruit or vegetable. People typically group them in their own category; however, most are fruits with one exception. Any ideas so far? Well, I will be talking about the wonder of nuts, and actually four nuts in particular--the chestnut, almond, walnut and pecan. Coincidentally, most nuts are harvested in the fall and are excellent and popular additions to holiday recipes. But instead of focusing on growing nut trees, I will be providing some history, storage, fun facts and how to crack and cook these nuts.

The first nut I'd like to discuss, and tightly so, is the chestnut, probably one of the first foods eaten by man dating back to prehistoric times. Greece originally introduced the chestnut tree to the rest of the European community. Most of the chestnuts we eat today are imported from Japan, China, Spain and Italy, however, at one time, the United States had a thriving chestnut crop ranging from Maine to Florida and from the Piedmont to the Ohio Valley. The American chestnut was a part of the Native American diet until 1904 when diseased Asian chestnut trees were planted on Long Island, New York, and nearly devastated the American chestnut population. Today, the only remaining groves are in California and the Pacific Northwest.

Chestnut trees resemble their cousin, the oak, and can live up to one hundred years though they do not produce fruit until forty years of age. If you find yourself with a chestnut tree in your yard, don't be tempted to pick one, crack it open and eat it. Chestnuts must be boiled or roasted before eating due to their high levels of tannic acid. When picking chestnuts, look for ones that are fresh, smooth, shiny and feel heavy for their size. A good tip to remember that applies to all nuts is that if you shake the shell and hear movement, the nut is drying out and not fresh. Freshly picked chestnuts should be used within one week. However, they can last up to one month in a perforated plastic bag in a drawer in the refrigerator or up to four months in the freezer.

Almonds, our next nut, are also known to be one of the earliest cultivated foods dating back to the Old Testament. The ancient Romans used sugared almonds as gifts given to great men at public and private events, and these such almonds are still used today as wedding favors at some American and European weddings symbolizing children, happiness, romance, good health and fortune. And according to another superstition, eating almonds before taking a drink will reduce your chances of getting inebriated and avoid having a hangover! Almonds were first introduced to the United States in the mid-1700s. Franciscan priests planted almond trees in their missions along roads stretching from San Diego to Sonoma. Today, California produces 100% of the commercial supply of almonds for the United States, as well as 80% of the world's supply. Unopened, packaged natural almonds can be stored up to two years in a cool, dry area. Roasted almonds stored the same way can last up to one year. Both will last longer when refrigerated.

Our third nut, the walnut, has fifteen different edible species grown throughout the world. The most flavorful and widely used is the Persian or English walnut. The black walnut is the only variety native to America. Tracing the origin of this nut. has not been as easy as the others have. It is believed, however, that the walnut most likely originated in Persia and spanned throughout southeastern Europe to Asia Minor. Once again it was the Franciscan priests who brought the walnut to California in 1770. Even though walnuts can be seen today throughout the United States and Southern Canada, they are most popular in the central and eastern states. During the Middle Ages, Europeans used walnuts to combat fevers, witchcraft, epileptic fits and even to prevent lightning. Walnuts also played a part in Roman weddings, as the groom would throw walnuts to the guests in order to ensure good health and increase fertility. However, in Romania, the bride would place one roasted walnut in her bodice for each year she desired to remain childless.

The walnut tree, like many nut trees, is long living. The black walnut tree has an especially long life often living over 200 years. Walnut trees will not begin to produce nuts until they are at least 10 years old, though don't expect the best nut production until around 30 years of age. If you pick a walnut from a walnut tree and find it extremely difficult to crack, it shouldn't come as any surprise, as walnuts are literally one of the toughest nuts to crack. Storing walnuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator will keep them fresh up to one year. By placing them in the freezer, you will add another year to their shelf life. One last interesting tip about walnuts--if you have walnut trees in your yard, be aware that a chemical found in walnut roots, leaves, trunks and nut husks has been known to inhibit the growth of vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, potatoes, blackberries, domestic grapes, apples and shrubbery. It also affects trees, such as lilacs, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and red and Scotch pines, as well as many others. This will most likely occur if the plant has grown too close to the walnut tree. The effects often remain even if the walnut tree is removed.