How to Bust a Nut

PISTACHIOS

When to Harvest: The first sign that pistachio kernels are mature and nearing harvest is when the hulls covering the nuts change from green to a reddish color. This color change occurs in late August or early September, depending on the growing area. You can remove the red hull from a nut easily by squeezing the hull between finger and thumb.

Harvest pistachios as early as possible in order to avoid navel orangeworm infestation and loss of kernel quality. You can begin harvest when you can easily pull the nuts from the branches. This is usually within 1-3 weeks of them turning red. It is best to wait until most of the crop is mature and then harvest the whole tree at once.

Harvesting: You can use a pole to knock the nuts from the branches onto a tarp spread underneath the tree but don't let them come in contact with the ground because of possible contamination.
 
"Shooting Blanks": Blank nuts are common wherever pistachios are grown. After removing the hulls, float the nuts in water. The blank nuts will float and the filled nuts will sink.

Hulling and Drying: Remove the hulls right after harvest. If you leave them on too long they might grow mold or stain the shells. You can dry pistachios in the sun on a plastic tarp or screen with good air circulation. Spread them out in a shallow layer. Sun-drying will take about 3-4 days. You can also dry them on a sheetpan in an oven from 140°F-160°F (60-71°C) for 10 to 14 hours stirring occasionally. Pistachios are propperly dried when the kernels are crisp but not brittle.



















Storage: Store pistachios in their shells. In-shell pistachios can be stored in an airtight container for 1 year at 32-45°F. Shelled pistachios can be stored for 1 year at 32°F or up to 3 years at 0°F.