Remember when you were young, and around the holidays when there was baking to be done, your mom used to say "ok you kids, I need some nuts shelled for the brownies/cookies/cakes," and you all rolled up your sleeves and got down to business? Remember that?
How about Christmas morning when there were always nuts (in the shell) and an apple and an orange in your stocking, and maybe a few pieces of candy. Those were the days when no household was without a functional nutcracker and some picks.
I happen to have the original Moss family nutcracker and pick set. Angie said I could have it because I was the best nutcracker of all the Moss kids.
I sure was glad I knew right where my tools were when this arrived in my Christmas package from Dottie.
As you can see I have not lost my touch. I had the best time cracking these nuts and eating them. I don't recall when we were first able to buy shelled nuts in the store. I feel like it had to be after 1970. When I was discussing it with Mary Ann and Dottie, Mary Ann said it was 1990. She can't remember anything that happened before 1990 though, so her opinion on the matter doesn't count.
When I looked it up online I found that the first "shelling machine" was made in the 1920's but I couldn't find anything about when they became available in grocery stores. I intend to continue my search tonight as I try to stay awake to see the confetti explosion in Times Square at midnight. BUT if any of you happen to be an expert in the history of nuts I won't mind if you enlighten me here. In case my search is fruitless.
I don't have an answer to your question, but I remember getting nuts and an orange in my stocking and we always had nuts to crack and I liked using that little pick to get out all the little bits stuck in there. i still hae our nutcracker and pick
Posted by: Janet Ghio | 01/01/2015 at 07:12 AM
Oh I remember! That was a standard in the late 40s and 50s. The orange or tangerine was the lump in the toe of the stocking and in later years when I was a teenager it was a Droste chocolate orange.
Taking the time to crack and pick those nuts as a 'snack' instead of a tube of Pringles...imagine that!
Posted by: Maureen | 01/01/2015 at 09:58 AM
Well all I can say is that before I moved to America in the early 90's we had nuts in shells by the early 2000's when I was back in the UK and paying attention to things like buying nuts at Christmas the shells were all gone! They seemed to have made a reappearance this year though I noticed - the shells! - but I bought shelled ones. Haven't eaten them though, still working on the second bag of candy corn!! xx
Posted by: Amy at love made my home | 01/01/2015 at 11:54 AM
I can't remember when I first used pre-shelled nuts but it was before 1990. I'm thinking it was early 70's after I married in 1971 for the second time, I used pre-shelled nuts in the Fantasy Fudge I made during the holidays. We can still find nuts in shells in the produce dept. of grocery stores here. I like to use them as fall decor and then eat them. I still have the nutcracker, not the pick tho'. You seem to have an array of old cooking utensils...what are the other treasures in the chest?I have a wooden salad bowl that is at least 60 years old that my kids swear holds the secret to my salad with vinaigrette dressing. Each of them has asked that bowl to be willed to them...How can I choose? Draw a name?
Posted by: Joan | 01/01/2015 at 12:18 PM
Well this isn't the answer either, BUT it is some interesting cashew and red pistacio lore!
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/03/cashews-sold-consumers-shells/
Posted by: cathy mcauliffe | 01/01/2015 at 02:58 PM
Was just thinking yesterday of how much my hubby used to love cracking and picking nutmeats. Will have to stop buying the giant jars of shelled Costco nuts and get back to the old-fashioned activity. Happy New Year to you and yours! :)
Posted by: Judy H. | 01/01/2015 at 08:41 PM
I cannot ignore this post or I will risk losing my Queen of Nuts title. My husband and his father moved their walnut processing (shelling) plant from Canoga Park to Somis in 1959. Shelled walnuts have been available through Diamond Brand (a cooperative of walnut growers) since mid 1940s. In the early days the processed nuts were mainly sold to restaurants and bakeries. Price Club (forerunner to Costco) made shelled nuts available to everyone. I can't find a date but I would guess about 1985. I still like having a bowl of mixed nuts in shell with a cracker and picks available over the holidays. Somis Nut House no longer shells walnuts commercially, but it does carry all nuts you can think of shelled. During the holidays they have nuts in shell.. As a once-a-year crop, the ag land in Ventura County is too expensive so they've all been replaced with citrus or avocado. Pistachios, almonds, and walnuts are grown in the San Josquin Valley. A little nutty trivia to share.
Posted by: Joyce Resnik | 01/02/2015 at 04:40 PM
Hurray!!! I have my answer. Joyce I just KNEW you would KNOW this!
Thank goodness I can rest easy now. And stop searching :)
Posted by: Carol | 01/02/2015 at 08:49 PM
I was just having this discussion with some friends the other day....cracking the nuts for mom's baking, the bowl on the coffee table that we'd enjoy thru Christmas, the walnuts in our stockings...AND - when did shelled nuts start taking over! My guess is they were probably more expensive than nuts in their original packaging and so were not in our house!
Great minds and all that......
k8
Posted by: k8 | 01/05/2015 at 08:30 AM