Obtaining a yield is one of the most important components of Permaculture. Common agriculture consists of farmers utilizing their yield for single purpose uses such as human consumption or feeding livestock. However, permaculture focuses on utilizing as much of the yield across as many areas as possible by providing systemic enrichment for the ecosystem as well.
Macadamia nuts are native to the east coast rainforests of northeastern australia. They also thrive in many tropical or subtropical climates such as Brazil, South Africa, and Hawaii! While there are many variations of macadamia nuts, only 3 of them are considered edible (macadamia integrifolia, macadamia ternifolia, macadamia tetraphylla). It takes a single tree about 7 years to mature and begin producing nuts, but it’s well worth the wait.
These nuts are free from gluten proteins, making them the perfect for gluten substitutes. in addition, it is one of the most nutrient dense nuts, containing calcium, iron, manganese, protein, and vitamin e making it the perfect energy boosting snack! Kalani is lucky to have an abundance of macadamia nut trees on property! here’s how we harvest, process, and use this amazing nut!
- Gather the fallen green nuts.
- Seperate the green husk from the brown shell by placing an individual nut in an indented lava rock and giving it a good whack with a mallet or hammer.
- Leave the brown shelled nuts to sun dry for 2-3 days in order to let the nut harden.
- Use a nutcracker to extract the nut from the shell.
- Allow the raw nuts to dry for another 1-2 days for maximum crunch and preservation (you can use a dehydrator to speed up this process).
In return for the abundance of this amazing nut, the husk and shell can be used to contribute to or create amazing compost soil.
You can find delicious Kalani harvested macadamia nuts available at our Hale Aloha storefront! Get them while they’re in season.
You can use this concept for absolutely anything in your garden. Get the most bang for your buck by asking yourself some of the questions: Can I compost this? What else can I plant here? Can I cultivate a more productive way to use this space/plant/waste? Like everything in permaculture, this principle can also be applied to the spirit. Utilize all of the best things about your being and it will positively impact the people you meet, the environment you create, and the manifestations you have in the work. Reap the benefits of the fruit from your soul, and happy gardening!
