Macadamias aren't actually tropical fruit. They come from the subtropics and grow best in that sort of a climate. I have a couple but they struggle here, although some people I know got theirs to finally fruit. Took many years and they don't get much fruit but they're proud of their achievement. I'm hoping mine will eventually produce some fruit as well, just to be able to say I've done it, LOL. I like Macadamias but they're pretty expensive. I also like Cashews and they grow really well here. Be thankful that Macadamias aren't as difficult as Cashews to process.

Thanks, Susanzone5. I'll try with your suggested methods. The nuts can keep for quite a while. There were still some from last year.

So, how old are your trees, tropicbreezent and what kind of climate do you have there?

There are some tropical species of Macadamia but their fruit (nuts) are inedible. I have 2 trees of the warmer growing subtropical species.

One I've had for about 10 years, no exact date recorded. It has died back a bit a few times but it's too exposed to the sun and in poor soil. I'm worried that trying to move it could kill it.

The second I got about a year ago. It has more shade and the soil is better. As it gets bigger the nearby trees will get trimmed back to allow more sun in. So far it's going well but time will tell.

The climate here is equatorial monsoonal, so we have distinct wet seasons (summer) and dry seasons (winter). It's the middle of the dry season now, this morning's minimum temperature was 18.9C and maximum 35.3C but humidity is low. July is our coldest month. I'm keen to get mine fruiting like those other people here have. They more or less threw down a challenge by saying they've now proved that it is actually possible. That's why I got the second one. Fingers crossed.

I got a box full of macadamia nuts last year in exchange for a box of pecans. They came from San Diego. The shell is super hard. The easiest way I found to shell them is to use a large pvc pipe cutter. Get a large one because the regular size one you won't get as much leverage. Align the seam of the nut with the blade and cut it open. Usually it will crack open along the seam before you cut all the way through. Most of the time you only get halves. The nut will still be stuck to the inside of the shell. Push on the side with a gap and it will pop right out.

I like the chew of the soft ones. If you don't like the softness, you can dry roast them after you shell them or you can dry the whole nuts in the oven before you shell them. If you dry the whole nut in the oven first you may get more whole nuts. I haven't tried this but you might want dry them and then put them in some thing like a pillow case and then walk them on the ground. This may dislodge the nut and you may get more whole nuts. You can hear them rattling inside the shell.

I still have half a box. I don't know if they are any good still.