| The modern name for filberts has evolved from | | | | however, the filberts (hazelnuts) are not released |
| European folklore. The original name was | | | | from the hull until 6 weeks later, after drying. The |
| connected with Saint Philbert's Day (Saint Filbert), | | | | nuts may grow in clusters up to 12 nuts, about |
| the day that harvesting the nuts began, August | | | | the size of acorns, and are usually mature during |
| 22nd, the day of observing the Saint's day of | | | | the last week of August, being collected during |
| celebration. The famous Roman historian, Pliny, | | | | the last of September. Although filberts are |
| recorded that 'hazels' (filberts) were frequently | | | | gathered by hand in Europe for commercial |
| gathered by the Romans as food. Pliny believed | | | | markets, they are gathered mechanically in nut |
| that filberts (hazelnuts) had originated in | | | | orchards of Washington State and Oregon in the |
| Damascus, Syria, where they grew naturally in | | | | United States. |
| forests; however, archeological records have | | | | American filberts, 'Corylus Americana Walt.,' were |
| shown some fossilized remains of filberts | | | | described in historical literature as growing among |
| (hazelnuts) that were 5000 years old in prehistoric | | | | native forests in bush form, although commercially |
| excavations from China. Almonds are found | | | | the plant can be formed into a small tree up to 12 |
| growing wild today in many European countries | | | | feet tall by removing the lower limbs. This filbert |
| and Asia Minor. There, the climates are mild during | | | | tree is very cold hardy, surviving cold extremes |
| winter with cool summers near moist soils and | | | | down to minus 30 degrees F; Zone 3 to 9, from |
| large bodies of water like the Black Sea | | | | a range that extends from Maine south to |
| boundaries around Turkey and near the | | | | Georgia and westward to Missouri and Oklahoma. |
| Mediterranean Sea surrounding Sicily and Italy. | | | | The American filbert (hazelnut) tree is commonly |
| The first commercial nursery in the U.S. was | | | | propagated by dividing clumps. This filbert tree is |
| established by Robert Prince in 1737 in Flushing, | | | | very aggressive and can emerge from severely |
| N.Y. George Washington visited this nursery by | | | | burned over forests to become reestablished |
| river barge in the spring of 1789 just after being | | | | from the very woody, large rhizomes that grow |
| elected the nation's first President. During the | | | | about six inches beneath the soil; the American |
| Revolutionary War, General Washington sent | | | | filbert is very shade tolerant and grows in light |
| armed guards to surround and protect this | | | | intensity as low as 1% along streams, woodlands, |
| valuable nursery that contained American filbert | | | | pastures, roadsides, and forest edges. The tree |
| trees and "Barcelona" filbert trees that were | | | | can produce nuts as early as the second year. |
| imported from Spain. When Lewis and Clark | | | | Filberts are eaten by mammals, quail, deer, and |
| conducted their exploration of the Northwest | | | | large birds. The kernels of filberts are used in |
| during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, they | | | | cereals, confections, candies, cakes, and canned |
| returned with collected specimen plants to be | | | | as pure hazelnuts or mixed nuts for sale at |
| used as nursery stock at Prince Nursery for | | | | Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Filbert |
| propagation, research, and sale. Professor of | | | | hazelnuts are also used to flavor soups, to be |
| Horticulture and Pomology, Dr. MacDaniels, of | | | | eaten raw or to be ground into a flour to form a |
| Cornell University, did much filbert hazelnut | | | | cake like bread. |
| research at a very large nut orchard that he | | | | One report from the University of Georgia farm |
| established early during the last century near | | | | claims that filberts (hazelnuts) have matured on |
| Ithaca, New York. | | | | plants that are located there at the trial orchard. |
| Filberts are alleged to conjure up mystical powers | | | | World production of filbert hazelnuts is dominated |
| by certain cult members and have been thought | | | | by Europe and the Mideast; 75-80% of the |
| since ancient times to be used as 'divining rods' to | | | | world's nuts are harvested from orchards near |
| locate underground springheads of water, buried | | | | the Black sea, bordering Turkey. Another 15% of |
| treasure, minerals, ores, and as various remedies | | | | filberts are produced from Italy and Sicily, and a |
| for illness and ailments of many kinds. | | | | 2% share of the market comes from Washington |
| The European filbert (hazelnut) tree, 'Corylus | | | | State and Oregon. |
| avellana L.,' is the world's most common and | | | | As a health concern, many people need to reduce |
| commercially advantageous filbert that is familiar | | | | their risk for heart disease. The FDA claimed |
| and available to markets of today. This European | | | | "consuming just 1.5 ounces of hazelnuts per day |
| filbert tree grows to 20 feet in orchards when | | | | may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular |
| trained into a tree by removing the lower limbs. | | | | disease" as part of a diet low in saturated fat and |
| Orchardists there expect filbert trees to bear | | | | cholesterol. Doctors have proven at a Boston, MA |
| after three years of planting and a mature tree | | | | hospital health study that states, "men who |
| averages 20-25 pounds of nuts per year. Two | | | | consumed nuts twice or more in a week had a |
| different trees are necessary to insure nut | | | | 47% lower risk of sudden cardiac (heart attack) |
| production through cross pollination. | | | | death, and 30% lower risk of coronary heart |
| The developing nuts are green in color, but when | | | | disease death. |
| mature, the nuts turn a chocolate brown; | | | | |