Xifeng Large Hazelnuts

Xifeng Large Hazelnuts

　　　　Hazelnuts are a dried fruit produced in Liaoning that is famous both at home and abroad. As Liaoning is located between the subtropical and northern temperate zones, its natural and soil conditions are well suited to the growth of hazelnut forests, which can be found almost everywhere in the province. Counties such as Kaiyuan, Tieling, Xifeng, Xinbin, and Huanren are particularly concentrated production areas. In an average year, the province can produce 2 to 3 million jin (approximately 1,000 to 1,500 metric tons) of hazelnuts, with bumper harvests reaching 4 to 5 million jin (approximately 2,000 to 2,500 metric tons).

　　Liaoning has a long history of collecting and using hazelnuts. The Song Dynasty’s "Kaishi Bencao" (Herbal Medicine of Kaishi) already recorded that “hazelnuts taste sweet... grow in the valleys of Liaodong, the trees are about ten feet tall, the nuts are like small chestnuts, and soldiers ate them as food during military campaigns.” By the Qing Dynasty, the hazelnuts from Kaiyuan County had been listed as tribute. Because they came from hazelnut orchards “designated by the emperor,” the area was once known as the “Imperial Orchard.”

　　Most hazelnuts are wild and mostly grow on the middle and lower slopes of hills and in clearings within forests, often forming thickets. This deciduous shrub has grayish-brown bark and round or oval leaves, with some growing up to about 2 meters tall. The two native types of hazelnut trees in Liaoning are the flat hazel (Ping Zhen) and the hairy hazel (Mao Zhen), with the flat hazel being the most commonly seen in the market and commonly referred to as hazelnuts. They are not very demanding in terms of climate but prefer sunlight and are quite particular about soil conditions. They thrive best on sunny slopes with fertile, moist, humus-rich, and deep soil.

　　Most hazelnut forests in Liaoning are formed through sprouting, characterized by fast fruiting. Just two years after pruning and thinning, hazelnut trees can yield substantial harvests. Between April and May, the red hazelnut flowers bloom before the leaves emerge. By the end of August and early September, the fruits begin to ripen starting from the upper parts of the tree. There is a folk saying, “When the End of Heat arrives, the hazelnuts fall,” indicating that harvesting can be done in stages and layers at the right time. After harvesting, the husks must be removed. Typically, harvested hazelnuts are piled up and covered with straw mats to ferment. Over the course of 2 to 4 days, the tannins in the husks cause them to detach, turning the shells into a bright brown color. In some areas, people also remove the husks by using basket covering or sun-drying methods.

　　Hazelnuts are highly nutritious and can be eaten raw or roasted, offering a delicious taste and cough-relieving properties. The kernels can be used to make fine pastries, as well as premium nutritional supplements such as hazelnut milk and hazelnut butter. They can also be processed into starch or pressed for oil, with an oil yield of around 50%. The oil is orange-yellow in color, fragrant, and pure, making it a high-grade edible oil.

　　The comprehensive utilization of hazelnuts is vast: hazelnut forests produce large quantities of hazelnut mushrooms, a delicacy in Liaoning; hazelnut wood is hard with fine grain, suitable for small-scale fine woodworking; hazelnut wood is highly flammable, making it excellent firewood; the bark, leaves, and bracts contain abundant tannins, serving as raw materials for the tanning industry. Additionally, hazelnut forests also help prevent soil erosion.