Hunting for Hazelnuts
/Go on a Hazelnut hunt
There is something rather magical about the Hazel tree. Red flowers give way to yellow catkins and finally nuts. How wonderful to find a source of protein literally growing on trees. If you look around the base of this twiggy tree you are liable to find lots of discarded nutshells. With a bit of detective work and a magnifying glass we can come to some conclusions about which woodland creatures have eaten the nut! Chief suspects include Squirrels, Wood Mice, Nuthatches and Hazel Weevils. If we are really lucky we might find a nut that has been nibbled by a Dormouse. The Peoples Trust for Endangered Species have produced this information sheet to help you discover more.
Roast nuts in a nut oven
If there are any nuts left after the woodland feast we could roast them in a nut oven. This involves burying the nuts in sand and making a small fire on the top. This does bring us to an ethical dilemma however. Should we be picking the hazelnuts when they are such a valuable source of food for our woodland friends? As the Dormouse is on the endangered animals list its preferable to leave the nuts where they are. However, luckily for us nearby Kent boast several organic cobnut farms. Cobnuts are a cultivated variety of Hazelnut and are easy to buy in the Autumn. That way you can roast nuts without further jeopardising the Dormouse’s survival.
