WE NEED BEAUTIFUL NUTS NOW

Nuts are autumn gems. Animals know it well as they set about foraging for the wild treats. It’s very rewarding to join them for a feast of wild hazelnuts, walnuts and chestnuts.

A nut, as botanically defined, is a fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed. But many so-called nuts are actually the dried seeds of fruits or drupes. 

Nuts are the key source of energy and nutrients for the new trees that sprout from them. They offer us essential healthy fats, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and precious antioxidants.

HAZELNUT

The hazelnut (Corylus avellana), aka filbert nut, is actually the kernel of a seed. While it’s tasty eaten raw, it is even more delicious when roasted, allowing its sweet floral fragrance to release.

We love hazelnuts in pralines as well as inside chocolate truffles. And we can never resist Nutella and Frangelico liqueur.

Hazelnuts are the key ingredients in Viennese tortes and French Dacquoise, among other sweet, delicate and earthy confections.

Hazelnuts are rich in protein, monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, manganese, and numerous other essential nutrients.

CHESTNUTS

The chestnut (Castanea) is a true nut. Chestnut trees, which are members of the beech family, are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

They are most delicious when they are roasted, preferably on an open fire, as the song goes. The nutmeats of chestnuts are relatively soft and sweet, as compared to most other nuts.

They can also be dried and milled into flour to make breads, cakes, and pastas with deep sophisticated flavor notes.

We love marrons glacés, candied chestnuts, as an autumn treat, either eaten as candy or a decoration on our favorite chestnut cakes or French Mont Blanc.

WALNUT

The walnut (Juglans) is not a true botanical nut. Rather it is the seed of a drupe. English walnuts  (J. regia), which originated in Persia, are most common.

The eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra) is more intensely flavored, with maple undertones. Black walnuts are more prized but they are harder to crack, harder to extract the nutmeats, and harder to find.

Read more about Beautiful Autumn in  The Biggest, Brightest, Most Beautiful Treasures In The Skies Are Happening Now and Autumn Blooms Are Beautiful Treasures Now.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Peter Trimming. "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday."
2. Image: by Marilylle Soveran. “Hazelnuts.”
3. Image: by ::Lenz. “Walnut Naked.” Walnut tree.
4. Image: by H. Alexander Talbot. “Smoked Hazelnuts.”
5. Image: by sanickels. “Truffles.”
6. Image: by distopiandreamgirl. “Apricot Dacquoise.”
7. Image: by Jelle de Vries. “Hazelnoot.”
8. Image: by Harold Neal. “Chestnut Street.”
9. Image: by Mr Hicks46. “Roasted Chestnuts.”
10. Image: by Kanko. “Mont Blanc / モンブラン.”
11. Image: by fugzu. “Marron glace.”
12. Image: by La Belle Lumière. Untitled. Walnuts.
13. Image: by Jamie Anderson. “Picture of the Day #256.” Walnuts.
14. Image: by WILLIAM ISMAEL. “Walnuts.”
15. Image: by Pauline Mak. “More Walnuts.”
16. Image: by Peter Trimming. “Hazelnut Thief.”
17. Image: by BN App - Download now!
18. Image: by Ton Rulkens. “Hazelnuts.”