Nut season begins this weekend at Nutwood Farm and Kookootonga Nut Farm, both at Mount Irvine, past Bilpin, so gather up the kids and take the drive up the mountains.

Nutwood boasts around 200 chestnut and walnut trees and owner Bev Carruthers said many people bring a picnic lunch to have after they’ve finished their nut gathering.

“Picking up chestnuts and dropping them into a bucket is fun, and everyone enjoys searching for the largest nuts,” she said.

Mrs Carruthers will provide you with buckets, tongs and gloves for nut picking – nuts are charged by the kilo.

“If the day is looking cloudy, it’s advisable to bring wet weather gear, especially waterproof shoes,” she said.

And as there are no toilets, patrons have to use the nearby public facilities in the parks at Mount Wilson.

Ruth Scrivener from Kookootonga Walnut and Chest Nut Farm said fresh walnuts were something everyone should experience.

“Lots of walnuts are imported from China and they’re not fresh,” she said when asked why some store-bought walnuts taste bitter.

“Fresh ones are not quite milky but almost.

“For people who really appreciate freshness, they’re very keen to get them.”

She said the yearly nut-gathering ritual is entrenched in most European and some Arabic cultures, and they get a lot of Mediterranean and Arabic families coming up who want their children to learn the same tradition.

“A lot of the Europeans think walnuts are extremely healthy,” she said. “They will also have them as a treat after their meal, instead of a chocolate.

“A lot of these people will buy large quantities – 20-30kg – and keep them in their fridges.

“You can also shell them all and freeze them – it doesn’t affect their flavour at all.”

Mrs Scrivener uses a lot of walnuts in her biscuits, cakes and slices.

Chestnuts are also popular with Europeans, and with Koreans, and are usually boiled or roasted.