If you've made pesto at home, you've probably used a handful of pricey pine nuts to add texture.
The creamy, teardrop-shaped nuts are a delicacy in Mediterranean cooking.
They're one of the world's most expensive nuts, and none of the pine nuts sold in Australian supermarkets are grown here.
In fact, Australia imports about $13 million worth of pine nuts annually from Asia.
But that could change, with a handful of farmers embarking on a journey to slowly replace some of those imports.
A waiting game
The journey is a very long one.
The pine trees can take up to 15 years to produce their first harvest of edible nuts.
The species best suited to an Australian climate is Pinus pinea or Italian stone pine, which is native to southern Europe and Turkey and considered the most superior nut in the culinary world.
Agricultural scientist and farmer Andrew Bailey reckons it'll be worth the wait.
He has planted 400 trees on his property at Winkleigh in northern Tasmania.
"I've had the place 25 years and the pine trees have been in around 12 years.
"From a production point of view, it fits perfectly with where they would grow in Europe at the same latitude," Mr Bailey said.
Why are pine nuts so expensive?
Pine nuts can retail between $50 and $100 per kilogram, depending on which country they're grown in.
The umbrella-shaped pine tree produces pine cones, just like a pine tree that's grown for timber.
These cones take three years to mature, longer than any other pine species.
They produce seeds, and inside those are the kernels, which are fiddly to extract.
"The challenge with these pine trees is that the seed comes out much like a pistachio seed," Mr Bailey said.
"So it's already encased in a shell and we have to further process that to get the seed out and polish it."
A plantation has the potential to yield about 200kg of pine nuts per hectare and trees have a very long life.
Some 200-year-old trees in Europe are still being harvested.
Developing a market in Australia
Last year national research group AgriFutures developed a 10-year strategic plan for pine nuts.
Senior manager for emerging industries Olivia Reynolds said with European production falling, Australia was perfectly placed to tap into the market.
"We don't have some of those pests and diseases that Europe has, which has seen a decline in a lot places internationally, so it gives Australia an edge," Dr Reynolds said.
"It has a lower water use requirement than some of our other nut species."
Patience required
Perhaps the biggest drawback to establishing a pine nut orchard is the length of time between planting the trees and harvesting a crop.
"There are certainly opportunities to look at increases in productivity, to identify those optimal growing regions where we know production will provide those yield benefits that we'd like to see," Dr Reynolds said.
"I think we could also do some things around increasing efficiencies so I think there are some opportunities for researchers to expedite or aid in their development."
As for grower Andrew Bailey, he admits he's no spring chicken and his pine nut crop will be for others to enjoy.
"It's a game for being patient and I've probably set up the orchard for future generations. I'm not sure if I'm going to see the fruits of my labour," he laughs.
