Macadamia nuts grown here since 1892, thanks to sailors

Do you know the story of how macadamias came to Hawaii?

The original grove is up Tantalus in the area called Nutridge, planted by two sailors, Edward and Robert Jordan, who traveled to the islands from Brisbane, Australia, with their pockets full of nuts in 1892. As kids we would go up and search the mountain slopes for mac nuts and lili­koi.

Hawaii horticulturists since then have done a lot of breeding, grafting and taste trials to bring us the ono mac nuts we grow and buy today.

In 1963, Castle and Cook persuaded U.S. airlines including United, American, Northwest and Pan Am to give macadamia nut samples to passengers. The nuts became super popular when they were featured in military base exchanges all over the world.

Macadamias are a good crop for farmers as well as backyard gardeners.

They are fun to grow from seed, or you can visit your favorite fruit tree nursery and buy a grafted, named variety. It takes about seven years for trees to produce nuts.

Macadamias are in the Proteaceae plant family. If you look closely at the long raceme (unbranched cluster) of small cream-colored flowers, you will see that they look like a protea. The scientific name is Macadamia integrifolia.

Like many tree nuts, they are packed with healthy fat and many nutrients. Plus, you get a workout cracking them open!

Mac nuts are rich in vitamin B, calcium, phosphorous and iron, and they are high in protein and fiber.

Macadamia nut fat is mono­unsaturated and thus good for our hearts. They are bursting with antioxidants and have the eight amino acids. You and your family are worth this healthy Hawaii-grown treat.

Traditionally, farmers let nuts fall to the ground and rake them up.

The husk must be separated from the shell and then the hard shell cracked to remove the nut. The husks and shells are a good potting material for orchids and other plants.

My friend Nina Weiser picks them up from her neighbors’ tree, and we talk story as we crack open mac nuts and eat them raw. Sometimes she roasts them and covers them with chocolate, or crushes them and bakes them on mahi­mahi. Ono!

Back in the day, I took a big bag to visit our Cali­for­nia cousins. All the neighborhood kids came over to crack nuts. Then my Aunt Ruth roasted and salted the nuts and added them to a chocolate treat. It was a big hit!

Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst is a sustainable landscape consultant specializing in native, xeric and edible gardens. Reach her at heidibornhorst@gmail.com.