Nuts are a common enjoyment all year around but especially at Christmas. What are some of the traditional nuts enjoyed in America that can also be grown?

1.    Almonds - The almond tree produces a fruit rather than a nut, although the almond tree's fruit is considered a nut, technically it is called a drupe. Unlike true nuts, almonds develop a leathery flesh outside of the shell, which is usually discarded.  Almonds are not only tasty but high in protein, low in carbohydrates and contain many essential vitamins and minerals. Almonds bloom earlier than any other nut tree, as early as February some years and continue until March. Growers of almond trees recognize the importance of bees for pollination, especially in commercial orchards. Two varieties of almonds are necessary for cross-pollination to be successful.

2.    Chestnuts - "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire", says the popular Christmas song. The Chestnut tree is a fast-growing tree. Their mature heights vary from the smallest species of chinkapins, often shrubby, to the giant of past American forests, Castanea dentata that could reach 60m. Fresh chestnut fruits have about 180 calories to 200 calories per 100 gr. of product; it is nevertheless much lower than that of walnuts, almonds, other nuts and dried fruit. Chestnuts contain no cholesterol and contain very little fat, mostly unsaturated, and no gluten. Chestnuts carbohydrate content compares with that of wheat and rice. In some areas Sweet Chestnut trees are called "the bread tree".  Chestnuts are the only nuts that carry Vitamin C. Dried chestnuts have more than double that amount with 16.6 mg. for one ounce, as much as the lemon.


Chestnuts are probably one of the first foods eaten by man. The chestnut tree was first introduced to Europe via Greece. The majority of the chestnut trees currently found in America are of native European stock, but Native Americans feasted on America's own variety, Castanea dentata, long before European immigrants introduced their stock to America.
In 1904, diseased Asian chestnut trees planted on Long Island, New York carried a fungus hitchhiker that nearly devastated the American chestnut population, leaving only a few groves in California and the Pacific Northwest to escape the blight.

3. Walnuts - Walnuts are deciduous trees, which grow to about 30–130 feet. There are 21 species of Walnut around the world. Common walnut (Juglans regia) is a beautiful, slow growing tree. Walnut trees prefer cool climates and sunshine. The mature tree is quite frost hardy, but young plants and new spring growth are vulnerable to frost damage. Walnut trees prefer deep, rich, well-drained soils with regular watering through summer and plenty of light.  Walnuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. They are rich in fiber, Vitamin B, magnesium, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E.  Nuts in general are also high in plant sterols and fat - but mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 fatty acids - the good fats) that have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. Walnuts, in particular, have significantly higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids as compared to other nuts.

4.    Pecans - The pecan tree is a large deciduous tree, growing to 66–130 ft in height, rarely to 140 ft. The walnut fruit is oval to oblong that starts out green and turns brown at maturity. The pecan, at maturity will split off into four sections and then release the thin-shelled nut. Pecans, like the fruit of all other members of the hickory genus, are not true nuts but technically a drupe, (fruit with a single stone or pit). The husks are produced from the tissue of the flower while the part known as the nut develops from the endocarp.

There are a wide variety of nuts one can grow in their backyard and enjoy eating year around, but for the most popular Christmas nuts, this is a good start.