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Cobnuts and Filberts are both Hazelnuts, Cobs are round and fat while Filberts are long and flat, both come from the Corylus group of trees. You find them in old hedgerows, ancient woodlands and are today planted in new woodlands and gardens.
Watch your hazelnut tree or shrub closely during early autumn, when hazelnuts typically ripen and begin to drop from their branches.
Harvest hazelnuts after they have fallen to the ground. This is when they are ripe and ready to be dried and stored.
Rake the fallen hazelnuts into piles; then collect them into a basket or bucket.
Shake the branches of your hazelnut tree or shrub very gently. Gather up any nuts that fall to the ground. Do not shake the branches roughly or pull hazelnuts from the branches. If they don't fall off with a gentle shake, they are not golden ripe yet.
Gather hazelnuts frequently (every 2 to 3 days) once they begin dropping.
Alternatively if you want green hazelnuts
Pick a couple and crack them open inside should be a small white nut, you can eat these, they are referred to as green hazelnuts and are used in cooking. Be sure to remove the almost clear skin as that tastes bitter this dries and falls off in storage.
When you get them home pour them out onto a table and pick through them. Take out all the nuts that come away from the husks easily and leave the rest to dry. Return to them daily and take out the loose nuts. This can take several days depending on the weather.
To use green in recipes shell them and take off the white skin and use within a few days.
Drying Hazelnuts for Later Use
All you need to dry hazelnuts is a cool dry spot free from vermin.
When you have removed all the nuts from the husks take out all the ones that look bad or are soft when pressed. Place in an open box or bowl and leave in a cool dry place. A dry shed or garage, top of a cupboard maybe, somewhere open where air can circulate.
NB
Obviously when you do go picking hazelnuts, bear in mind the squirrels and other rodents that depend on the nuts, so always leave some for them too.
Watch your hazelnut tree or shrub closely during early autumn, when hazelnuts typically ripen and begin to drop from their branches.
Harvest hazelnuts after they have fallen to the ground. This is when they are ripe and ready to be dried and stored.
Rake the fallen hazelnuts into piles; then collect them into a basket or bucket.
Shake the branches of your hazelnut tree or shrub very gently. Gather up any nuts that fall to the ground. Do not shake the branches roughly or pull hazelnuts from the branches. If they don't fall off with a gentle shake, they are not golden ripe yet.
Gather hazelnuts frequently (every 2 to 3 days) once they begin dropping.
Alternatively if you want green hazelnuts
Pick a couple and crack them open inside should be a small white nut, you can eat these, they are referred to as green hazelnuts and are used in cooking. Be sure to remove the almost clear skin as that tastes bitter this dries and falls off in storage.
When you get them home pour them out onto a table and pick through them. Take out all the nuts that come away from the husks easily and leave the rest to dry. Return to them daily and take out the loose nuts. This can take several days depending on the weather.
To use green in recipes shell them and take off the white skin and use within a few days.
Drying Hazelnuts for Later Use
All you need to dry hazelnuts is a cool dry spot free from vermin.
When you have removed all the nuts from the husks take out all the ones that look bad or are soft when pressed. Place in an open box or bowl and leave in a cool dry place. A dry shed or garage, top of a cupboard maybe, somewhere open where air can circulate.
NB
Obviously when you do go picking hazelnuts, bear in mind the squirrels and other rodents that depend on the nuts, so always leave some for them too.