Pistachio trees comes from Asia. There are proves that this tree was on the Earth 7,000 BC.
Pistachio nuts are very and kindly recommanded for fighthing agains cholesterol.
Where to Grow Pistachios
Pistachios grows in hot and dry areas with long summers and cold winters. The maximum tall of this trees is about 30 feet or 10 metres.
Pistachios like drained soil and does not like excessive dampness or excessive humidity. Pistachios are very resistant in drought periods. Pistachios are are dormant in the winter season.
How to plant pistachios
You will plant pistachios like the other trees, digging a hole in the soil.
First of all you have to buy little pistachio trees. If you are from United States, you will search for the trees in California or Arizona (California has the 98% of US pistachios production).
If you want different other species of pistachios, you will search for pistachios little trees in Iran or other arabic countries. I found for example a bulk pistachios of 5000 trees at a price of $7,5/ tree and with transportation included - about $11 each tree. For this you have to use http://www.alibaba.com/ (a kind of Ebay for Asia-Pacific). I have this offer from Sirian Republic posted on Alibaba.
First of all you have to buy little pistachio trees. If you are from United States, you will search for the trees in California or Arizona (California has the 98% of US pistachios production).
If you want different other species of pistachios, you will search for pistachios little trees in Iran or other arabic countries. I found for example a bulk pistachios of 5000 trees at a price of $7,5/ tree and with transportation included - about $11 each tree. For this you have to use http://www.alibaba.com/ (a kind of Ebay for Asia-Pacific). I have this offer from Sirian Republic posted on Alibaba.
Once the tree has been placed, backfill the hole and firm the soil down to remove air pockets. Put about 10 litres of water around the tree.
Do not fertilise during the planting process, however, you can fertilise with a good tree fertiliser that contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium each spring.
It is indicated to not water the tree from April to May because this will help the tree to go dormant for the winter season. In the dormant period , watering the tree monthly because this will help it to become more cold resistant.
How to Harvest Pistachios
It is important to know that pistachio trees has two possible sexes : male tree or female tree. If you want to have any production you must have minimum 1 male tree for 10 female trees. The inflorescence is copulated by wind .
Pistachio trees will take 5 to 7 years to start producing nuts. They come to the maximum productivity in 15 to 20 years.
In United States of America the harvest takes place anywhere from late August to early October. In Australia, they harvest pistachios in february, but if the summer is very hot, they harvest earlier.
To find out if the nuts are ripe, you must squeeze the nut between your thumb and forefinger.
- If the hull comes apart and can be peeled off, the nut is ripe. The hull of the nut will also change colour – when it is ripe, it will be a little bit yellow colour.
- The pistachios falls off the tree when when you shake the tree
- Place some sinthetic materials under the tree to catch the nuts.
- Remove the hull of the nut within 24 hours of harvesting. If it is left on, it will stain the inner shell.
Health benefits ( see Wikipedia)
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 2,391 kJ (571 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 27.65 g |
| - Sugars | 7.81 g |
| - Dietary fiber | 10.3 g |
| Fat | 45.97 g |
| Protein | 21.35 g |
| - lutein and zeaxanthin | 1205 μg |
| Thiamine (vit. B1) | 0.84 mg (73%) |
| Riboflavin (vit. B2) | 0.158 mg (13%) |
| Niacin (vit. B3) | 1.425 mg (10%) |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.513 mg (10%) |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.274 mg (98%) |
| Folate (vit. B9) | 50 μg (13%) |
| Vitamin C | 2.3 mg (3%) |
| Calcium | 110 mg (11%) |
| Iron | 4.2 mg (32%) |
| Magnesium | 120 mg (34%) |
| Manganese | 1.275 mg (61%) |
| Phosphorus | 485 mg (69%) |
| Potassium | 1042 mg (22%) |
| Zinc | 2.3 mg (24%) |
| Source: USDA Nutrient Database | |
According with Pennsylvania State University researches, pistachios in particular significantly reduced levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL- cholesterol) and increase antioxidant levels in the serum of volunteers.
Consuming unsalted, dry roasted pistachios prevents any addition of unwanted fats and additional sodium in the diet that may affect cardiac health adversely and increase hypertension.
Human studies have shown that 32-63 grams per day of pistachio nut can significantly elevate plasma levels of lutein, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and gamma-tocopherol.
Dr. James Painter- professor and chair of School of Family and Consumer Sciences at Eastern Illinois University, described the Pistachio Principle as a method of "fooling" one's body into eating less.
For example, the act of shelling and eating pistachios one by one slows one's consumption, allowing one to feel full faster after having eaten.
| Pistachio production (tonnes) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
 Iran | 229 657 | 250 000 | 315 500 | 192 269 |
 United States | 128 367 | 107 955 | 188 696 | 126 100 |
 Turkey | 60 000 | 110 000 | 73 416 | 120 113 |
 Syria | 44 642 | 73 183 | 52 066 | 52 600 |
 China | 34 000 | 36 000 | 38 000 | 40 000 |
 Greece | 8 847 | 8 233 | 8 148 | 8 100 |
 Afghanistan | 2 457 | 2 457 | 3 600 | 2 500 |
 Tunisia | 2 000 | 2 700 | 2 500 | 2 500 |
 Italy | 2 719 | 1 024 | 2 782 | 2 000 |
 Kyrgyzstan | 300 | 500 | 800 | 800 |
 Pakistan | 597 | 632 | 536 | 773 |
 Madagascar | 210 | 220 | 230 | 230 |
 Uzbekistan | 300 | 203 | 200 | 200 |
 Côte d'Ivoire | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
 Morocco | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
 Cyprus | 15 | 12 | 25 | 24 |
 Mexico | 26 | 4 | 10 | 10 |
 Mauritius | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
 Azerbaijan | 11 | 15 | 3 | 3 |
For more information, visit http://www.wikipedia.org/
In U.S. pistachio trees are grown in > California (98% of US production) and Arizona.
No comments:
Post a Comment