Beaked Hazelnut Harvest -- Still Good a Year Later?

So, last year about this time we had a crazy bloom of beaked hazelnut, which grows wild everywhere around here.

I couldn't resist. I went in with coveralls, closed at the neck, big brim hat, big gloves. Hazels don't like to be picked and they are heavily armoured with spines on the trees and spines on the nut. I brought in a lot and dried them down.

And then I was T-boned by sad events and many new responsibilities. And I didn't get around to the hazelnuts.

So: what do you think? Are they worth salvaging? Anybody dealt with this?

I have no experience with beaked hazelnuts, but the "regular" ones that we grow keep for a long time. I've had quite a few that sat around for an entire year and nearly all of them were good. Some got a little bit dessicated, and I fixed that with a light toasting.

I hope you still have the hazelnuts!

They should store for up two years in the shell, but once cracked should be used with-in tree to five months. Samuel Thayer

Just read this in his Feild Guide to Edible Wild Plants.

My experience with nuts in general is that if they are no longer good to eat, you'll know as soon as you bite into your first one, even if they do somehow pass a 'sniff test'.  They tend to smell pretty strongly to me if they are rancid, but I've been told I have an overly sensitive nose, so this may not work for everyone.  They are not (immediate) poison if they are rancid - rancid food isn't good to eat a lot of, but chewing up one nut and spitting it out is not a big deal, so that is how I would choose to test them - sniff first, then taste.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:I hope you still have the hazelnuts!

I certainly do! I worked too hard to toss them out. I know that they can be eaten raw when fresh; but that boat has sailed.

It seems steaming and roasting in the shell is probably best. I'm new to this. Suggestions?

I don't know. I'm living my first summer hazels, still in the pots. But I know chestnuts used to be used in soups, so I looked into that. This sounds good to me! Creamy hazelnut soup.

I'd go ahead and taste them raw, just to see....

Ooohh! Glazed hazelnut chicken.

There are a bunch of sweet recipies, and a few savory here.