| ≥1 piece |
Latin Name : macadamia integrifolia
Family : Proteaceae
Discovery : The original home of the Macadamia are the rainforests of Queensland and New South Wales. It was first discovered by European settlers in the 1850s. During the 1880s the seeds of the Macadamias were taken to Hawaii where they were used as windbreaks. Only in the 1930s people recognised the commercial value these nuts have.
Height : In Australia, Macadamia trees can reach a height of 15m. Elsewhere it hardly ever exceeds a height of 9m.
Nut production : The maturity takes place after 10 years, however nuts can already be harvested as from the age of 4. They can bear crops for about 40 years.
The fruit : The Macadamia kernel lies within a hard shell. This on the other hand is covered by a fibrous outer husk.
Harvest and processing : Harvesting is a 6 month long schedule. They are only ripe and ready for shelling when they fall off the tree naturally. It is not suitable to use the mechanical shaking procedure because not all the nuts are ripe at the same time. Therefore harvesting is done manually.