ForestHarvest: non-timber forest products in Scotland

 PRODUCTS

Hazel (Corylus avellana)

Also known as cobb nut

Family: Betulaceae

Description

Small to medium-sized tree.

Habitat

Common in the understorey among several types of broadleaved woodland.

Uses

The nuts are delicious, though not as large as the cultivated 'cobnuts' that are brought in from Europe. They are greenish when picked, and should be dried in a warm place.

Hazel twigs are used for basketry, and larger stems (from coppiced trees) for walking sticks, hurdles etc.

It used to be thought that feeding a newborn baby on the milky fluid from a green hazelnut would confer wisdom.

The flowering (catkin-bearing) stems are sometimes used in floral arrangements.

Gathering

Hazelnuts should be gathered around September (if the squirrels don't get them first), though the exact timing varies locally.

Image provided by William Milliken/RBGE

Other information

Hazel nuts are among the 10 most commonly gathered Scottish NTFPs, according to the Wild Harvests report.

Richard Mabey, in his 'Food for Free', mentions a 15th-century pork recipe called noteye. Hazel leaves were pounded to a paste and mixed with ginger, saffron, salt, vinegar and sugar, and then added to minced pork.