a native food we have ignored

Have you seen a hazelnut? Can you believe how unique they look? Last year was my first time seeing them in their husks. I had no idea they the husks were ruffled, and the nut clusters look like groups of square dancers at a hoedown. Steve is doing research for an article on hazelnuts, so I have been tagging along for the fun of it. This week we visited our first hazelnut grove on the campus of the University of Minnesota. American hazelnuts are cold hardy but they have hard shells and relatively small nuts. European hazelnuts have thinner shells, bigger nuts, but are not cold weather hardy. The U of M and the UW-Madison are actively doing research on hybridized cultivars that could turn our native hazelnuts into larger nuts, thinner shells, but maintain the cold weather hardiness. This would make hazelnuts a viable cash crop for farmers that would add a little biodiversity to their farms. A win for the farmer and the environment. Cheers to win-wins!

hazelnuts on the U of M campus (probably an American x European hybrid)