American hazel
Even
though I planted hybrid
hazelnuts a couple
of years ago, I don't expect to see much from them for a few
years. But we do have hazels --- native
American hazels that grow up in shrubby areas and never do much because
they become entangled in Japanese Honeysuckle. I like them anyway
since these shrubs usually showcase the first native flowers of the
year --- I was stunned to see blooms on the hazel bushes last week,
nearly a month 
ahead of last
year's schedule.
While I was poking
around, looking for the first spring flowers, I saw a leafy mass
hanging on one of the bushes. Was that an actual fruit?! I
pushed my way through the briars and vines and returned with our first
homegrown hazel nut.
The shell was tough, explaining the reason we
opted to grow the softer-shelled hybrids rather than propagating our
native species. After a few pounds with the hammer, I was able 
to
excavate a small nutmeat that wouldn't win any taste tests (but what
would after sitting outside all winter?) Here's hoping that the
one hybrid hazel that didn't get dug up during Lucy's rodent-hunting
campaign will be as vigorous as our native species, but twice as tasty.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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