Description
Lehne Farm LLC (Roseburg) is one of the few farms in our area who make a portion of their hazelnut harvest available locally, and we always make sure to get some each winter for OtterBee’s customers! These are in the shell, sold by the pound, and will keep for months. Store in the shell in a dry, cool place.
Hazelnuts (also known as “filberts”) are unique in that they bloom and pollinate in the middle of winter. Wind carries the pollen from yellow catkins to a tiny red flower, where it stays dormant until June, when the nut begins to form. The nuts mature during the summer months, turning from green to shades of hazel nestled in a protective husk, and are harvested in late September or October after they have fallen to the ground.
The hazelnut became Oregon’s official State Nut in 1989. About 800 Oregon farm families grow hazelnuts on 70,000 acres; most of the crop is sent to processing plants, but occasionally farmers like Lehne’s sell a portion of their crop locally.
Click here to learn tons more about Oregon Hazelnuts.
