Harvesting Pine Nuts
Using Pignoli nuts, aka Pinoli, Pine Nuts, in recipes such as pesto or Italian cookies got me wondering and asking myself, "Where do pine nuts come from?" Apparently, pine nuts are truly a labor of love. The nutrient dense seeds have fed native Americans, birds and wildlife for centuries.
Pine nuts actually do come from what you think - pine cones. The pine trees are a special variety that yields large seeds and grow in places like America, China, Korea and Russia, with most pine nut imports coming to the US from Mongolia.(1) Pine nuts have a dark brown outer shell that gets removed to yield the tender, cream color, edible seed.
People can harvest the seeds by hand, one-by-one, which is one reason why pine nuts cost so much. However, the most likely reason they cost so much is the limited supply for the growing demand. The food industry has developed pine nut farming and harvesting techniques that speeds up volume production.
Check out these videos to learn more about pine nut, piñón harvest.
Reference
1) The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). Pine Nuts Shelled in US. Accessed April, 6, 2026. https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/pine-nuts-shelled/reporter/usa
Related Links
Why Use Locally Sourced Pine Nuts? It's a Matter of a Piñón
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