Wild Abundance

Bitternut hickory nuts holding onto their branches into early winter, after all the leaves have fallen

A large tree with green leaves standing on a grassy field under a clear blue sky.
A person holding two small, bitternut hickory nuts in their hand outdoors.

The Trees - Carya cordimormis

Bitternut hickories have the most widespread range of all the hickories, growing in eastern North America from Texas to southern Quebec. They can be found in 33 states and are often seen in floodplains, wet lowlands, and along streams, but can also be found on dry sites at elevation.

Black and white map of the United States showing the native range of bitternut hickories.

Range map from usda.gov

Close-up of tree branch with budding leaves against a bright blue sky.

Bitternut hickories have been considered a subordinate “trash” species due to their tannin rich (bitter) nuts. But pre-colonization, they were probably a staple crop for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. The nuts were crushed, boiled for a long time, and the oil would rise to the surface where it could be skimmed off or decanted.

Additionally, its a common misnomer that bitternut hickories do not provide wildlife value. The nuts are consumed by squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, turkey, and others. Many gallons of bitternuts have been lost to squirrels and mice due to improper storage.

Bitternut hickory trees have several common names including the yellowbud hickory - after their unique buds - and the oilnut hickory.

Bitternuts commonly hybridize with shagbarks (carya ovata), pecans (carya illinoinensis), and pignuts (carya glabra).

Bucket filled with hickories outdoors on grass.

Bitternut hickories are most easily recognized by their bright, amber colored buds, and a long terminal bud shaped like a duck’s bill. Other key distinguishing features are their shallow, tightly interlaced, silvery gray bark and pinnately compound leaves with 7-9 leaflets most commonly.

Four buckets filled with harvested bitternut hickories placed on the ground near a large tree trunk in an outdoor setting.
Close-up of three green bitternut hickories on a tree branch surrounded by green leaves with some brown edges, with a background of more leaves and sky.

The nuts have a green husk surrounding the shell that is thin and pliable with four even ridges (4 winged) tapering out halfway down the nut. The shell is smooth and round but forms a sharp point . The shell is extremely thin and easily cracked. Inside the shell is where the magic lies. The nutmeat (kernel) is a light brown to reddish brown color composed of 75-80% oil. One 5 gallon bucket of hulled hickory nuts yields about 3/4 gallon of oil.

Multiple buckets filled with harvested bitternut hickories placed on grass with fallen autumn leaves.
Close-up of a large quantity of dry, bitternut hickories after they are cracked open.
A small gray toad on the grass with two bitternut hickories nearby.

A late- hanging bitternut in the second week of November

Several bitternut hickories fallen on the grass.
Basket filled with fresh unripe green and brown nuts, placed on the ground outdoors.
A metal shucker machine with water flowing, surrounded by a large pile of cracked hickory nuts and some greenery in the background.

Within a week or so of harvesting, the hickories need to be hulled. The green husks protecting the nut hold considerable water - removing them is essential to prevent molding. The thin husks are easy to remove by hand, but time consuming. In 2025, we used a commercial kitchen potato peeler to speed up the process. The potato peeler uses an abrasive disc at the bottom of the container rotated at high speeds to rub off the husks. Running water flushes the husks out of the machine.

Bitternut hickories are gathered into buckets by hand or with a nut wizard. Trees with ample space and sunlight (parks, pastures, lawns, etc.) tend to yield a heavier crop than bitternuts in dense woodland settings.

A park scene with a large bitternut hickory tree near a water body, a bridge in the background, a picnic table, a pathway, and a street lamp under a clear blue sky.
Empty stainless steel potato peeler with a textured surface inside, set outdoors on grass and rocks.

After removing the husks, the bitternuts are placed into perforated harvest totes and stacked in a rodent proof place. Several fans are placed on the totes for adaquate air flow until the hickory nuts are dry.

Orange bucket filled with hickory nuts placed on grass outdoors.

In shell hickory nuts can last a very long time, as the shell is a natural protective barrier against oxidation.

Person sorting or inspecting a large yellow plastic crate filled with hickories, with additional crates stacked beside them, in an indoor setting with a patterned carpet and a wood stove nearby.

Our Process - gathering, hulling, and drying

Close-up of a small, round, yellow-green bitternut hickory on a leafless tree branch against a bright blue sky with blurred tree branches in the background.

Bitternut hickories start dropping in early September and can continue to fall until early November. Peak harvest season is mid-September to mid-October.

Our Process - Roasting, Cracking and pressing

To make the roasted hickory oil, the whole nut (shell included) is toasted in the oven for 15 minutes. The flavor and aroma of the oil is significantly enhanced from this process.

A laboratory setup with a mechanical device pressing hazelnuts, and a white container filled with hazelnuts below it.
A metal machine with a funnel on top and a black handle on the front, situated on a workbench in a workshop. Several buckets and tools are nearby.
Industrial machine with a funnel, metal components, and a rusted electrical cord, set on a metal stand in a workshop.
Multiple trays filled with brown, round, dried herbs or seeds on a wooden work surface in a workshop or kitchen.

The press operates at low temperatures keeping the nutrients and natural qualities of the oil intact.

A machine used for processing or grinding material, with warning labels on it and brown processed material in a white container below.
Close-up of a rusty mechanical device with brown liquid dripping from it into a white container.

To extract the oil, a small scale, expeller screw press is used. Due to the size of the screw inside the press, the nuts need to first be cracked. They get run through a handcrank Davebilt nutcracker which cracks/crushes them allowing the nuts to flow through the hopper and into the screw of the press easier. The nutmeat and shell do not have to be separated before pressing - the press has the capability of extruding the shell out in the press cake. The thin shell is extremely advantageous and makes pressing bitternuts possible.

A German Kern Kraft 20 (kk20) oil press was used for the unroasted hickory nuts.

The Swedish Taby 70 oil press was used to press the roasted hickory nuts.

Industrial machine with large metal funnel, motor, and rusty components on a metal frame in a workshop.