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New Mexico Piñon Nuts
Few things are as special in the cold New Mexican months as local Piñon Nuts. They rank among red chile and pork tamales and posole as some of the things that New Mexicans yearn for when the weather get colder. The pinon tree is a beloved wood in New Mexico, and the stereotypical fire in the New Mexican winter is made with pinon. The reason why is simple: Pinon trees are the hardest of the pine trees. That hardness means that they also carry lots of nutrients up the the cones in their dense wood. Most fruit trees are hardwoods, and the best of the pine nuts also come from the hardest of the pine woods!
Where is Pinon found?
Pinon comes from pinon forests, of which New Mexico has a particularly high number of. A simple search of a forestry map shows that piñon forests cover large swaths of the state. In case you ask someone where their picking spot is, be prepared for some vague answers however. Collecting pinon nuts is a way of life for many people, particularly natives from the many pueblos around the Land of Enchantment. Because of this, many people are very cagy about giving up their source. It is actually a source of many memes, as some people are a bit tone deaf and just don’t understand that they are asking for trade secrets.
When is piñon ready?
New crop piñon nuts are typically available around the end of September, once the nights start cooling off and the cones open up. When they are ready, people all around New Mexico go and gather them, with some people braking them by hand and others using tools like vacuum cleaners or kitchen gadgets to aid in opening the cones and extracting the delicious nuts inside.
Where to buy piñon
All around New Mexico, some people will park their cars at busy intersections with large piñon signs. Although many of these people are honest sellers selling fair amounts at fair prices, there are plenty of fly by night shops selling small amounts and saying they are larger than they actually are. In case you are looking for a shop which sells guaranteed measurements of piñon nuts, stop by our store at 2010 Eubank Blvd NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87112. We are open every year from the start of August to Christmas, and carry all kinds of New Mexican goodies such as roasted Hatch chile, ristras, chicos, beans, and much more!
Buying New Mexico Piñon Nuts Online
For those of you looking to buy pinon nuts, we have them available on our webshop, but you can also order here:
New Mexico Piñon Nuts
$9.00 – $45.00
These are 2024 new crop New Mexico piñon nuts! They come from various pinon forested lands around New Mexico. The New Mexican high desert is famous for the pinon tree, which also produces the best quality of pine firewood too! The smell of piñon fires is so characteristic of winter in New Mexico, along with […]