The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowThe Field Guideby Moss & Marrow
Also called walnoten, hazelnoten, noten.
In the Netherlands, walnuts are in season October, at their best in October. After the harvest, Dutch stores carry them until March. In November, Dutch walnuts come from store or from under glass, not from the field.
Dutch walnuts drop in October and are dried for a few weeks; hazelnuts a little earlier. Fresh, wet walnuts are only around for a few weeks in autumn.
Wet walnuts have a pale, peelable skin and a milky taste. Dried nuts should feel heavy and rattle very little.
Omega-3 fat (alpha-linolenic acid), more than any other common nut, plus protein, magnesium, copper and the polyphenols in the papery skin.
To get the most: Keep the skin on the kernels and store them cold; the omega-3 goes rancid in warmth and light. Fresh wet walnuts in October are at their best.
On our nutrient density chart, a normal serving of walnuts (30 g) gives about a tenth of a day's vitamin B6 and about a tenth of a day's magnesium, counting what your body absorbs. Phytates lock away part of the iron and zinc, and the score counts that.
Content per NEVO, the Dutch food composition database. This describes what the food contains, not what it does for you.
Dry in a single layer for two to three weeks before storing. Toast before use.
Shells are the only waste; they burn well. Green walnuts picked in June can be pickled whole.
10 producers in The Field Guide sell walnuts, according to their own website or shop list, each checked against our inclusion criteria and listed by province. Another 61 producers passed our bar for this food group; we have not yet recorded what each of them grows, so ask them or search the map.
Open on the map →Dates read on 2026-10-11. If a window on this page is wrong, tell us with a source.
guideWhy choose local and seasonal food?Food picked ripe in its own season carries more vitamins, travels days instead of weeks and keeps good farms in business. Twelve reasons, with the evidence.Read the guide →
A free list of what’s in season this month, then one slow email a month with seasonal tips and goodies.