Kamelia Mehrgou, age 11, of Newport Beach, Calif., for her question:

HOW DO THEY GROW PISTACHIO?

The pistachio is a tree with spreading, umbrella¬like branches. It bears a small light green or creamy yellow nut that is sometimes called a green almond. But most of us know it by its more common name  pistachio nut. Each nut, about one inch long, is covered by a smooth, thin, brittle shell. Usually the shell is bleached white or dyed red when we see them in the stores. They are rather oily nuts with a mild flavor and are a tasty treat when salted or used to flavor ice cream.

The pistachio tree is a relative of another favorite nut, the cashew. Its original home is in the Mediterranean region and Southwestern Asia where it enjoys long, hot summers and cool winters necessary for its growth. When the nuts ripen they hang on the tree rather than fall off, which makes it an easy job to harvest them. Workers walk among the trees and bang the clusters of nuts with a pole, knocking them down. Or they may simply pull them down by hand.