Christmas morning would find my sister and me rushing through the hallway into the den hoping that Santa had left a multitude of toys, firecrackers, candies, and nuts. The excitement couldn’t be contained and on most of these mornings, Pop would snap a couple photos capturing the expressions on our faces. To say eyes were wide open, and mouths agape, would be an understatement There were wrapped gifts under the tree that we tore into, leaving the shag carpet completely covered in ribbons and bows. I think mom and dad enjoyed watching the fiasco as much as Jan and I did participating in the mayhem. Santa’s bounty that he had left behind included duck calls, shotgun shells, pogo sticks, roller skates, and even a trampoline and a quarter horse one year. We were blessed as a family, and as kids, we were never disappointed.
As epic as the gifts were, one of my favorite experiences each Christmas was what the stockings and the hearth held. There might be a small box of candy in the stocking, and perhaps a five-dollar bill was tucked inside the fur. Roman candles could sometimes be discovered sticking out of the top of the Christmas sock. It was always fun dumping the contents out onto the brick hearth and going through them.
Lined upon the hearth there were always huge navel oranges, gigantic apples, sticks of peppermint the size of baseball bats, and my favorite, an assortment of nuts that I only saw on Christmas morning. As much as I was intrigued with the bounty from trees, it is somewhat amazing that I didn’t major in forestry. My dad even had the foresight to lay a hammer on the hearth so I could crack open the various nuts and throw the shells into the fireplace. I’m sure I left as many shells in the carpet as I did on the hearth, but mom never complained. Thinking back, I tried to recall which ones were my favorite. Though uniquely different, they all were special.
I could count on Brazil nuts each year being piled on the hearth. These were the toughest to crack, and many times I smashed them into oblivion with my nutcracker. These nuts are relatively large with a dense, white, “meat.” High in protein, approaching 14 %, I found the taste exhilarating, though it took a lot of work to remove one in its entirety without breaking it due to the dense shell. Produced from large trees in Brazil and Bolivia in the Amazon rainforest, sometimes approaching 150 feet in height, these nuts are notable for a diverse content of micronutrients. The wood from these trees is prized for its quality in carpentry, flooring, and heavy construction. As a kid I knew nothing of these attributes, I just enjoyed smashing them, eating them, and watching the shells burn in the fireplace.
Almonds were also one of my favorite nuts that were left by Santa. The fruit, (nut), is a drupe consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell, (endocarp), containing the seed which is not a true nut. The tree prospers in a moderate Mediterranean climate with cool winter weather. California produces about 80 % of the world’s almond supply. Like the Brazil nut, its protein content approaches 22 %. In the Bible, the almond is mentioned 10 times, beginning with Genesis 43:11, where is it is described as among the best of fruits. Christian symbolism often uses almond branches as a symbol of the virgin birth of Jesus. Paintings often include almond-shaped haloes encircling the Christ Child and as a symbol of Mary. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the almond is appropriate as a gift during Christmas symbolizing the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Another favorite that I still remember on the hearth was an abundance of filberts. Also referred to as hazelnuts, these nuts are used as a snack food and also in baking and desserts. The nut falls out of the husk when ripe, about eight months after pollination. The seed can be eaten raw, roasted, or ground into a paste much like hummus. This unique nut is used in confections to make pralines and chocolate truffles and paste products including nougat. Regarding culture, the hazelnut shell is imagined as a chariot for the fairy Queen Mab within English playwright and poet William Shakespear’s play “Romeo and Juliet.” The hazel fruit is also used as a metaphorical device in the poem “To Autumn” by the English poet John Keats. As a young boy cracking nuts on the fireplace hearth, I had no idea of the history and culture of this species, I just remember it being one of my favorites to snack on and it still is today. Also, these shells burn beautifully in the fire, too.
As novel as these previously mentioned nuts are, my favorite is still the pecan. Heaping piles of pecans were on the hearth Christmas morning. Perhaps they are special to me because they were always available in the backyard during fall. I picked them up by the hundreds and cracked them by placing two of them in my hand and squeezing them together. The weaker of the two would crack and I would pick the meat out being sure to remove the bitter particle in the folds of the nut.
The word “pecan” is from an Algonquian word meaning a nut requiring a stone to crack. Before European settlement, pecans were widely consumed and traded by Native Americans. Tribes would collect the fruit to make flour that was used as a meat substitute and a milky fermented drink called “Powcohicora” along with the bark and leaves made into a tea to heal ailments. Spanish explorers first came into contact with pecans in the 16th century. They called the pecan “nuez de la arruga” meaning “wrinkle fruit.”
Pecan trees are native to the United States and writing about this species goes back to the nation’s founders. Thomas Jefferson planted pecan trees in his orchard at his home Monticello, in Virginia. George Washington reported in his journal that Jefferson gave him “Illinois nuts,” pecans, which Washington grew at his Virginia home, Mount Vernon. The history of the pecan is vast, but the culinary experience it offers is most noted.
By the time this issue reaches your doorstep, Santa may be back at the North Pole recovering. I hope he left a cache of nuts on your hearths, mantles, and tables. If not, these nuts can be easily found at your local markets. I invite you to create a mixed assortment of these treats from the trees and crack them and enjoy. If you have a fire available, complete the experience by tossing the shells into the coals watching them glow and listening to them pop. This is one of my fondest memories from my youth at Christmas. You may find this activity just as fun with your family too. I hope so.
Until next time enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it. Merry Christmas! jeff.north@northag.net
