There are some ingredients that simply feel like Oregon. Hazelnuts are one of them. Grown throughout the Willamette Valley, these little golden-brown nuts are as much a part of our local food story as wine, pears, berries and apples. In fact, more than 99% of the hazelnuts grown commercially in the United States come from Oregon, with the Willamette Valley at the heart of the industry.
A little taste of Oregon, right from the orchard.
Hazelnuts have been growing in Oregon for well over a century. The first cultivated hazelnut tree was planted here in 1858, and Oregon officially named the hazelnut its state nut in 1989. Today, roughly 1,000 Oregon farm families grow hazelnuts across tens of thousands of acres, many of them in family orchards passed from one generation to the next.
And here’s one of our favorite hazelnut facts: hazelnut trees pollinate in the middle of winter. While most of the landscape is quiet and dormant, their long yellow catkins release pollen into the winter wind. The tiny female flowers catch that pollen, and the nuts begin developing months later.
From Orchard Floor to Harvest
By late summer, the green nuts begin turning brown and ripening inside their protective husks. When they're ready, they fall naturally to the orchard floor and are mechanically harvested, generally in September and October. Oregon's mild climate, fertile Willamette Valley soils and wet winters create ideal growing conditions for these trees.
Hazelnut trees are also remarkably long-lived. Under the right conditions, they can continue producing for many decades—and some can produce for more than 100 years. That's a pretty impressive legacy for a little nut.
Why We Love Cooking with Them
At Trellis, we love ingredients that tell a story about where we are. Oregon hazelnuts bring a wonderful combination of buttery richness, gentle sweetness and satisfying crunch to both savory and sweet dishes. They can be toasted, chopped, ground into flour, turned into sauces or simply sprinkled over a dish for a little extra texture.
One of our favorite ways to showcase them is in our Risotto, where locally grown Oregon hazelnuts add that unmistakable nutty crunch and a beautiful contrast to the creamy, comforting dish. And because we're always cooking with the seasons, you'll find hazelnuts making their way into other dishes and desserts whenever they fit the moment.
A Little Nut with a Big Sense of Place
For us, cooking in the Willamette Valley is about more than putting food on a plate. It's about knowing where our ingredients come from and celebrating the farmers, orchards and landscapes that surround us. Oregon hazelnuts are a perfect example—a familiar local ingredient with a surprisingly fascinating story.
So the next time you enjoy a dish with Oregon hazelnuts, take a moment to appreciate the journey: from winter pollination to Willamette Valley orchards, from autumn harvest to the kitchen at Trellis. It's one more delicious reminder that we're lucky to live—and cook—in a place with so much growing right outside our door.
From the Willamette Valley to your table. That’s our kind of local.