Overview

Two major varieties of walnuts are grown in the United States—the English walnut and the black walnut. The English walnut originated in Persia, and the black walnut is native to the United States. Commercially produced varieties are nearly all hybrids of the English walnut. California produces 99 percent of the nation’s commercial English walnuts with almost all production taking place in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.   

The black walnut is of high flavor, but due to its hard shell and poor hulling characteristics, it is not grown commercially for nut production. The Northern California black walnut is primarily used as the rootstock for English walnut cultivars. The Eastern American black walnut is grown east of the Rocky Mountains primarily for wood and veneer.  January 2008 . . . English Walnuts

Other Links

• Daniels Family Farm of Porterville, California, sells English walnuts to wholesalers and directly to consumers. The farm processes and ships approximately 25 tons of nuts annually.
• Diamond Walnut of California, founded in 1912, is the nation’s only cooperatively owned walnut processing and marketing company. It has 1,900 grower-owners in California’s Central Valley.
• The Domestic Impacts of the Walnut Marketing Board’s Marketing Programs, NICPRE Quarterly, First Quarter 2002 by Harry M. Kaiser, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University - This 2002 study reviews issues related to the effectiveness of the Walnut Marketing Board’s marketing programs.
• Farmers' Market Came in the Nick of Time - The Van Mourik Farm of Escalon, California, explains how selling directly to consumers through farmers' markets helped keep the farm going.
• Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook and Yearbook, Economic Research Service, USDA - This government outlook report, issued every other month, includes production, consumption, trade and pricing information.
• Northern Nut Growers Association, Inc. Experts on Persian Walnuts – Experts on Persian (English) walnuts may be located by selecting the Persian walnut box on this link.
• Reports by Commodity, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA - Select the key word walnuts to access periodic reports.
• Walnut, Integrated Pest Management guidelines, University of California, Davis.   
• Walnut Index, University of California-Davis - This site provides links to other walnut resources.
• Walnut Marketing Board, California Walnut Commission - This board was established in 1933 to represent California walnut growers and handlers.

Links checked February 2008.