Identifying Hickory Nuts

Learn How to Recognize Hickory Nuts

Tips for Spotting Hickory Nuts

Use a ruler to measure the shell sizes. Hickory nuts, when removed from the husk, can range from 0.5 inch (13 mm) to 2.56 inches (6.5 cm) in length and width, depending on the species.

Inspect the shape. Look for hickory nuts that are circular, heart-shaped, or oblong, with a slightly flat or rounded profile. Different species may have varying shapes.

Sample the nut meat. While some hickory species produce sweet, edible meat, others yield bitter meat that should be avoided.

Check for a densely veined inner chamber. The interior of a hickory nut's shell is veined, which can make extracting the nut meat challenging.

Familiarize yourself with different hickory species. There are 16 species of hickories, each producing slightly different nuts. Identify the species in your area to know what to look for and determine if the nuts are edible.

Recognize shagbark hickory nuts. These nuts, either solitary or in pairs, measure between 1.2 inches (3 cm) to 2 inches (5 cm) in length and slightly less in width. Their medium-thick, brownish-black husks split easily to reveal light brown, heart-shaped fruits with a textured, thin shell. Shagbark kernels are brown and sweet in flavor.

Spot southern shagbark hickory nuts. Southern shagbark husks range from 0.12 inch (3mm) to 0.35 inch (9mm) in thickness. The egg-shaped shells are smooth, relatively thin, and crack open easily. Their nut meat is light brown and sweet-tasting.

Identify bitternut hickory nuts. Bitternuts have shells ranging from 0.8 inch (2 cm) to 1.6 inches (4 cm) in length. They are rounded, light brown nuts covered in a thin, yellow-scaled husk. The kernel of the bitternut is bitter, as the name suggests.

Recognize pignut hickory nuts. Pignuts typically grow to about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long and 0.8 inch (2 cm) wide. Their thin, dark brown husks must be manually split, as they rarely split on their own. Pignut shells are pear-shaped, thick, smooth, and grayish brown. The meat of pignuts is bitter with a slightly bland taste.

Spot red hickory nuts. Red hickory nuts are typically 1 inch (2.5 cm) to 1.2 inches (3 cm) long and 0.8 inch (2 cm) wide. Their dark husks, about 0.08 inch (2 mm) thick, split open easily to reveal a light brown, rounded, thin shell. The small kernels of red hickories have a sweet flavor.

Identify kingnut, or shellbark hickory nuts. The largest of hickory nut species, kingnuts grow between 1.8 inches (4.5 cm) and 2.6 inches (6.5 cm) long, and 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide. Their oval-shaped, very thick shells are light brown and slightly furrowed. Despite their thick shells, kingnut meat is sweet.

Recognize sand hickory nuts. Sand hickory nuts are the smallest hickory nuts, ranging from 0.5 inch (13 mm) to 1.45 inches (37 mm) long. Their light brown husks are thin and partially split to reveal oval, slightly flattened, light-colored, smooth, furry, and relatively thin shells. The kernels of sand hickories are sweet.

Spot mockernut hickory nuts. Mockernuts are among the larger hickory nut species, growing from 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) to 2 inches (5 cm) long, with thick husks ranging from 0.12 inch (3 mm) to 0.24 inch (6 mm) thick. Their rectangular, reddish-brown, smooth shells encase edible, sweet meat that is challenging to extract due to shell thickness.

Remove the husks. Ripe hickory nuts are easily dislodged by the wind, falling to the ground with their husks already split. Once you've gathered the nuts you want, peel off the husks and dispose of them.

Inspect for nut weevil damage. Check the nuts for tiny holes made by nut weevils, indicating the meat inside may be spoiled. Discard any nuts with holes to avoid wasting time on ruined meat.

Crack the shells. Hickory nut shells are too tough for a regular nutcracker. Use a specialized walnut cracker, a vise, or even a rock to crack them open. Be careful not to damage the meat inside.

• If using the rock method, place the nut on flat concrete and strike it with a large rock until it cracks.
• Finish cracking open partially split shells with a nutcracker.
• Save the shells for burning alongside wood to extend a fire's duration.

Separate the meat. Remove shell fragments from the nut meat by hand, ensuring you have a clean bowl of intact nut halves and pieces. Preserve as much meat as possible.

Enjoy your harvest. Use hickory nuts in various ways: snack on them raw, incorporate them into pies and baked goods, or try them roasted and salted. For a culinary adventure, experiment with making hickory nut butter.

• Store leftover hickory nuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several months.
• Alternatively, freeze the nuts for up to a year by tightly packing them in freezer-safe containers, removing excess air, labeling, and freezing.

• Utilize the gathered information on the husk, shell, and nut meat to identify the specific hickory nut species.