Pine nuts are one of the most expensive nuts on the market due to the time required to grow the nuts and the effort to harvest the seeds from their protective cover. Why are pine nuts so expensive? Pine nuts are very expensive for a number of reasons. For example, these nuts take a long time to grow, require a lot of labor, there is a greater demand, and they do not originate in the United States. For this reason, the value of pine nuts is higher than that of other nuts.
Today, all 40 species of pine trees in the world produce pine nuts (via HuffPost), but only about 20 types of pine produce seeds that are large enough to be harvested. And, in some cases, the little nuts go on a globetrotting trip before they're ready to be thrown into a batch of pesto. Much of the pine nuts consumed in the United States have been grown elsewhere, especially in China, and exporting them to the country contributes greatly to the total cost of purchasing them. Most pine nuts in the United States are exported from China, which produces 8.1 megatons of delicious nuts each year, according to Kong.
The variable window for pine trees is also a factor: with most pecan trees, the difference between when some of the same plants produce nuts and when others produce nuts is at most one year. Pine nuts are ready to harvest about a week and a half before they mature, which means that once the cones are harvested, they need to be left alone for them to ripen before the pine nuts can be extracted. Other uses of pine nuts include certain confectionery products, salads, baked goods, and even oil, as this can be extracted similarly to other nut oils. There are many reasons for this discrepancy in price, which can be traced back to the planting of the pine nut.
Another thing that makes pine nuts so expensive is that it takes a lot of work and effort for them to grow, care for and harvest. This contrasts with 3 years for cashew and walnut trees, 5 years for walnut trees and only 4-5 months for peanut plants. If you're a nut fan, you've probably tried several types of nuts, including pine nuts. Even pine nuts that do not originate in China are likely to be transported there first for processing, which means that they are effectively exported twice and consumers take the bill.
Grimo added that it is not the same as climbing a walnut tree, for example, since the branches of the pine are tighter. In short, the top source of pine nuts in the U.S. The U.S. is China, and imports add to the price.
It must have required more than a little effort and creativity for the first humans of the Paleolithic period to extract the pine nut and discover that the inside of the pineapple was not only edible, but that it was delicious, but food scientists say that pine nuts have been part of the human diet for about 2,000 years.
