Pine Nuts

Basics

• The Edible Seeds Inside the Pinecones of Certain Species of Pine Trees
• Their More Difficult Harvesting, Long Time Required for Trees to Mature and Produce Pine Nuts, As Well As Their Lower Profitability Compared to Other Crops Has Resulted in Limited Cultivation
• However the Market is Growing, and from a Permaculture / Food Forest perspective that may not matter as much!
• Also Non-Timber Forest Products can be more sustainable than conventional forestry (often Clear Cutting or Slash and Burn etc) while still providing a livelihood for the local people

Notes by Marcin

• Pinyon pine in Missouri - [1]
• trials in 1903 , pinyon in Nebraska appeared to work - [2]
• korean nut pine - zone 4 -[3]
• pine nut nursery - many suitable types appear to be available -[4]

Harvesting Methods

• The (semi-) mechanized process is largely similar to that of Tree Nut Harvesting
• Main difference is if using a Rotary Nut Collector or Rotary Nut Sweeper the spacing may need to be adjusted

Collection

Rotary Nut Collector

• A Video by the YouTube Channel "DWU - THE QUEEN OF RANDOM" Titled "BEST TOOL FOR YOUR YARD!!! Nut Gather with Telescopic Handle from Home Hardware! | PICK UP PINECONES" (Main reason i posted the video is the comparison between using a Reach Extender and the rotary collectot)
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "replayreb" Titled "First test of the Pine Cone Wizard" (Showcases the use of the "Holt's Pine Cone Wizard" ]

Machine Sourcing

• [holtsnutwizard.net/pine-cone-wizard Holts Pinecone Wizard" Product Page]
  • Store Page (~58 USD for either large or small)
  • Agrisupply Store Page (~74 USD, doesn't specify size)

Rotary Nut Sweeper

• A Video by the YouTube Channel "BagaNut" Titled "Pinecone Harvester - Picking Up Pinecones - OLD VIDEO"
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "BagaNut" Titled "Bag-A-Nut Picks Up Pinecone Off The Ground Fast"
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "855Sheller" Titled "Pinecone Harvester Picking Up Pinecones"

Machine Sourcing

• Bag-a-Nut Brand Rotary Sweepers and Reach Extender Like "Stab-a-Nut" Devices
  • ~65 USD for "Stab-a-Nut" Device
  • ~520 USD for the "18" Pine & Magnolia Cone Picker" (Seems very overpriced; could probably FDM 3D Print the "rotors" and use standard components for the rest, maybe CAD it out later)

Internal Links

• Pine Tar
• Turpentine

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Pine Nuts
• A Page on "Pinenut . Com" Titled "Pinenuts: Species, Products, Markets, and Potential for U.S. Production"
• A 2006 Utah State University Paper Titled "Pine Nuts: A Utah Forest Product"
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "Insider" Titled "Why Pine Nuts Are So Expensive | So Expensive" (This showcases the Traditional Manual Method, in a Natural Forest (ie Non-Plantation) Context)
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "Noal Farm" Titled "Awesome Pine Cultivation Technology - Pine Cone Harvesting Machine - Pine Nut Processing in Factory" (Shows an operation (supposedly in Russia, need to check as i think this is a seccondhand publishing of the video by some clickbait-ey channel, so may be wrong) that is heavily mechanized and done in a dedicated Tree Plantation )
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "Taizy nuts machine" Titled "Processing pine nuts from A to Z | threshing, grading, shelling, peeling" (Shows basic Unit Operations and the machinery involved. It seems to be from a company that makes the machinery themselves?)
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "Matrix Farm" Titled "Awesome Pine Nuts Harvesting and Growing - Stone Pine Cultivation Agriculture Technology ▶48" (Shows Semi-Automated Tree Planting similar to that used for the Hazelnut Tree Plantout , then the associated machinery, seems to show Blanching before the peeling step)