Bitter hazelnuts....

[Nicos]

Hazelnut is a 'fruit' yeh????

Hmmm...I want to give a few neighbours some of our hazelnuts - to roast- or eat 'fresh'
Problem is that we've munched on a few and they're really bitter!!

Will they be less bitter if roasted???

Why on earth would they be so bitter??..they were really creamy the previous year!

[FB.]

Do the nuts have traces of fungus growing in them?
In wet seasons the nuts are more prone to fungal damage, with some varieties being more prone to fungus (and earwigs!).

Maybe the nuts didn't have a good growing season, although hazels will grow in very poor soil conditions, as long as there is adequate mositure.

Do you know which variety of nuts you have? Or are they wild hazels?
There is a big difference between hazelnut flavours between different varieties - Gunslebert is quite a savoury nutty taste, while Kentish is quite a sweet (and elongated) nut.

[Jeanied]

Don't they go off quite quickly as well? Hazel nuts have the shortest shelf life - if you want to store them it may be best to freeze them.

[FB.]

Don't they go off quite quickly as well? Hazel nuts have the shortest shelf life - if you want to store them it may be best to freeze them.

My hazelnuts seem to keep reasonably well in the nut bowl in the living room.
The taste is more "green" and salad-like when first picked, but after storage it becomes more "nutty" and is more like what you get in chocolate bars.

I have a few hazelnuts left from autumn 2009's harvest (18 months old) and I just cracked one open; it still looks fine and tasted normal.
If I don't post on here in the next few days then you'll know that the nut must hav zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Nicos]

Hmm..no fungal signs.
2009 were really creamy- even in the following July- that's why I was surprised last years weren't as sweet this March.
Would roasting them sweeten them up????
( I have about 20kg of them!!!!)

[Nicos]

FB!!!!!...WAKE UP matey!!!!!!