Researchers at the University of Minnesota are developing hazelnuts, a shrub, as a new crop for Minnesota. Hazelnuts bear an edible nut that is both tasty and healthy to eat. The shrubs are valued for windbreaks and for wildlife habitat. Their perennial root systems hold the soil against soil erosion, enhance soil health, sequester atmospheric carbon, and protect water quality.
Research to develop hazelnuts is part of the U of M’s Forever Green Initiative to develop perennial and winter-annual crops to provide new economic opportunities while enhancing our agricultural ecosystem. For more information about the hazelnut research, see the Upper Midwest Hazelnut Development Initiative.
We are looking for volunteers to help harvest hazelnuts, likely beginning in late August and extending into September. Applicants don't need to be available for the entirety of the harvest period. Even a few hours can be helpful.
Working with the hazelnut project would be an opportunity to experience what a career in agriculture or natural resources, or in scientific research, might be like. It is also an opportunity for undergraduates interested in graduate school to get some research experience.
Details about the work:
Picking hazelnuts is satisfying work and can be a lot of fun. We harvest by hand. It is relatively easy work because most nuts are at a height that can be picked while standing up, though a few involve bending over or reaching up. But the work is outdoors and can be hot and possibly buggy. So stamina for heat is needed. We provide insect repellent and water.
Harvest usually starts around the fourth week of August, but the exact date depends on how fast the hazelnuts ripen, which we cannot predict. Harvest is slow at first, but the pace picks up the first week of September, when we can use lots of extra help. If we do not pick the hazelnuts quickly we risk losing them to nut thieves such as squirrels, crows and many other kinds of wildlife which all love nuts!
The harvest this year will mostly be at Rosemount, though a little will be on the St. Paul campus. For Rosemount we need people who are able to commit for full work days or who are willing to drive their on their own. Weekend work is possible for students who have scheduling conflict during the work week.
Interested in volunteering?
Contact Lois Braun, Hazelnut PI: — 651-641-1880 (Please leave a message with your phone number if it goes to voicemail)[email protected]