Pinyon pine nut

Pignon pinyon

What it is

The pinyon has been the state tree of New Mexico since 1949, and its nuts are still gathered off the ground by hand under wild trees — there are no orchards, and no way to hurry a crop. The tree masts: a heavy year fills every roadside stand in the state, and the several that follow give almost nothing.

In the kitchen

The shell is thin enough to crack between the teeth, so roast them in it — ten minutes at 165 °C — and shell as you eat. It is the fattiest pine nut in the trade and the first to go rancid: buy small and freeze the rest.

Goes with

Blue corn Corn Sage Juniper berry Lamb Honey Chili pepper

Same species

Korean pine nut Pine nut Pine nut oil

In season alongside

Crowberry Cervione hazelnut Fresh ginseng Jujube Ptarmigan Matsutake

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