However, many of these are not grown so much for their nuts as for their many other benefits, such as timber, environment and wildlife. O ur cold climate prevents most of the kinds nuts currently in sold as food in Canadian stores from growing in any quantity. In British Columbia, there is a flourishing hazelnut industry worth a half million dollars annually. This industry began to develop almost a hundred years ago. In the past half century, a mixed nut industry has arisen in the most southern regions of Ontario.
Most kinds are new hardy varieties and cultivars of commercial nut species.
Developing cold-hardy strains takes decades, so expansion into other parts of Canada of these nuts will be slow. In Eastern Ontario, Cobjon Enterprises Inc.'s Nutculturists has taken up the challenge to bring new kinds of nuts to market. Our researches, and ongoing cooperation with nutting organizations around the world, has enabled us to develop a unique model for successfully growing these plants and their crops in most of Canada. The model emphasizes species not now commerically used here, more-natural growing methods, wider involvement of folks from many walks of life, and much more efficient use of plant and crop. W e have determined that about one hundred kinds of nuts can grow in Canada.