Stopping to Smell the Pignuts

Pignuts

A simple joy I was reminded of recently was the smell of pignuts. Pignuts come from the pignut hickory tree which is common amongst the oak-hickory forests in our area.

As nuts go, the pignut doesn’t get a lot of respect. While the nuts of other trees like oak, walnut, and even the shag bark hickory are prized among the cute and furries of the forest, the pignut is not. In fact, aside from the occasional insect that burrows through the oh-so-hard shell, pignuts are ignored. From midsummer into fall, while forest trails are littered with the discarded husks of shag bark hickories and caps from acorns, whole pignut hickories line the trails.

For some, it is a challenge to discern the nuts of shag bark and hickory trees. Both, when they are mature, are covered with a green husk. The husk of the shag bark hickory is thick, approximately 1/4 inch, which gives them a greater size than the pignut hickories with their comparatively thinner covering. The green surface of the husks is also smooth and somewhat shiny.

Pignut husks are very thin and dull. The outer surface has a rough texture when compared to the smoothness of the shag bark. Despite its lack of visual or palatable appeal, the pignut does have (to my point of view) a distinct advantage over the other nuts in the woods – its smell.

Give it a rub!

Pick one up and with just a gentle rub of your thumb across the uneven green surface you will be rewarded with a rich, earthy scent. The freshly woodsy smell is a combination of pine and lemon with a touch of menthol. The closest I have found to it is the scent of rosemary – but with a kick.