When Do Nuts Ripen? A Full Guide to Ripening Times

Nuts are a delicious snack that many people enjoy. Eating more nuts has benefits such as nourishing the brain, protecting cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health, and anti-aging. So when do nuts ripen? Here is a summary of the harvest seasons for some major nuts.

1. Spring nuts

Cashew: cashew, one of the world's four major dried fruits, with a rich and crisp texture, a sweet and full flavor, and extremely high nutritional value, has long kept its sales among the leaders of the nut kingdom. Cashews are mainly produced in tropical regions within 10 degrees north and south latitude, and the vast majority of cashews in China need to be imported. Vietnam is the main source of cashews imported by China, and every year in mid-March, Vietnam's cashews begin to enter their harvest season.

2. Summer nuts

1. Walnut: as the saying goes, “walnuts in the seventh month, pears in the eighth month.” Right now it is mid-seventh month of the lunar calendar, the season when fresh walnuts come to market. Walnuts have long been known as the “longevity nut” and are rich in protein, fat, minerals and vitamins. Walnut kernels can tonify the kidneys and support yang, tonify and astringe the lungs, and moisten the intestines to relieve constipation. Fresh walnuts contain even more vitamin E, which can tonify the liver and kidneys and delay aging.

2. Almond: almond is the seed of the apricot of the Rosaceae family, divided into sweet almond and bitter almond. Conventional varieties are picked when the fruit ripens in June to July. Almonds are rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin P, as well as calcium, phosphorus and iron. Among fruits, their carotene content is second only to that of mango, and people call almonds the anti-cancer fruit. Almonds are rich in fatty oil and have the effect of lowering cholesterol; therefore, almonds have a good effect on preventing and treating cardiovascular system diseases, but almonds should not be eaten in large amounts.

3. Pistachio: pistachio, also known as bistah, green kernel fruit, etc. Pistachio (Pistachio) is a dried fruit, commonly known as pistachio, also called “nameless seed,” similar to ginkgo. When ripe it is yellow-green to pink. The flowering period is March to May, and the fruiting period is July to August.

4. Peanut: in the south, peanuts can be planted two seasons a year. Sown in mid-March, they mature in about four months, that is, they are harvested in July and August. After harvesting, another crop can be planted immediately, and another harvest can be made around November. In the north, they are planted one season a year, sown in spring and harvested in summer, harvested in July and August.

3. Autumn nuts

1. Hazelnut: hazelnuts are nutritious and generally ripen in autumn. The specific time is related to the variety of the nut. Generally, it takes 147~176 days from pollination of the female flower to ripening of the hazelnut. Hazelnuts on the same tree also ripen at different times: those at the top and outer edge of the hazel tree ripen first, while those at the lower part and inside the canopy ripen later. Therefore, hazelnuts ripen at different times, and harvesting is also done in batches, mostly completed during August to October.

2. Macadamia: the ripening period of macadamia varies according to the growing environment. Looking at cultivation conditions worldwide, the ripening period of macadamia ranges from July to October, meaning the main ripening period is summer and autumn. In places such as Guangzhou in China, the macadamia ripening period is mainly July to August, so the time macadamia comes to market is also mainly in summer and autumn. However, because macadamia belongs to the nut category and has a relatively long shelf life after processing, it can now be bought all year round.

3. Chestnut: chestnut, also known as Chinese chestnut, large chestnut, chestnut fruit, hairy chestnut, chess piece, chestnut wedge, belongs to the genus Castanea in the Fagaceae family, and Chinese chestnut belongs to the nut category. Chinese chestnut originated in our country and is one of the earliest fruit trees cultivated in our country, with a long history of several thousand years. The ripening time of Chinese chestnut is between September and October. In early May, as the weather warms, Chinese chestnuts begin to sprout; from late May to early June, Chinese chestnuts begin to bloom; between September and October, the Chinese chestnuts slowly split open, and the chestnuts awaited for a whole year finally ripen.

4. Winter nuts

Gouyuanzi: also called yuanzi, very similar to hazelnut but much smaller. It generally ripens one after another in early winter, the shell cracks open, and the nut inside falls out.