Walnuts are not a native species to California, but about 99% of them are grown in the state today. Buy farm-fresh, natural Glenda’s Farmhouse walnut halves, pieces, and plant-based meat, and add valuable plant-based omega-3, protein, fiber, heart healthy fats, and antioxidants into your family’s diet.
Glenda’s Farmhouse is an Andersen & Sons Shelling brand. The Andersen family has been farming walnuts, prunes, and cattle in Vina, California for more than a decade (since 1904). We have merged with Western Nut Company and are expanding into new brands and other tree nut products.
As a vertically integrated farming operation, we raise, hull, dry, shell, sort, store, package, and sell organic walnuts. Our walnuts are certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and non-GMO project verified, gluten-free, kosher, and certified vegan. We also carry a Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification, which is one of the most rigorous and credible food safety and quality programs that are profoundly recognized throughout the industry.
About Walnuts
You are most likely familiar with the walnut — it’s actually a seed that comes in an inedible and hard, round, tan-colored shell which seems impossible to crack. The actual nut, if you manage to get the shell open, looks a bit wrinkly — almost like a somewhat-shriveled brain. But, what are walnuts and where do they come from?
Juglans regia, the walnut species we know today as the English Walnut, is the oldest tree food known to man, with cultivation dating back to Persia more than 7,000 years ago. They spread to the Caucasus, China, and were eventually cultivated across Europe and North Africa by the Romans. Walnuts were even found among other foods on a table in the Temple of Isis when Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii on August 24, 79 AD.
English merchant marines used them for trade at European ports and ports around the world. Although they were never cultivated commercially in England, they came to be called the “English Walnut.”
In the late 1700s, Franciscan missionaries introduced walnuts to the New World and began to cultivate them in Southern California. Large commercial orchards later spread to California’s Central Valley region and northern California. Today, walnuts are one of the most widely-consumed nuts in the world, and walnuts from California represent more than 99% of the U.S. commercial supply.
The California walnut is considered to be the top-quality walnut in the world is one of the official state nuts.
Add Some Walnuts to Your Meals
- Shell the walnuts and eat them raw, just as they are. (A farmer trick is to squeeze two walnuts together in one hand. One walnut will crack leaving the other one with its shell completely intact).
- Drizzle with olive oil, dust with your favorite spices, toast them and add them to salads.
- Finely chop some walnuts and add them to your oatmeal. (Be cautious of shell.)
- Roast them and add them to pasta or rice pilaf.
- Top your avocado toast with a handful of chopped walnuts.
- Exchange one-third of the ground meat in your favorite recipes for finely chopped walnuts before cooking.
- Add chopped walnuts to chicken or fish just before cooking.
- Add chopped walnuts to yogurt and cut fruits for a healthy dessert.
- Pair them with vanilla, cloves and cinnamon in desserts.
- Add chopped walnuts to cakes, cookies, muffins and breads.
- For extra brain health benefits, eat walnuts with blueberries.
To buy California walnuts, get in touch with Glenda’s Farmhouse at 530.839.2236, visit us online, or visit the recipe blog at Andersen & Sons Shelling for more ideas on how to eat these healthy-for-you nuts.