Residents of Daishi town, Lin'an district, Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, start picking hickory nuts, a local specialty, on Sept 7. [Photo/IC]

Residents of Daishi town, Lin'an district, Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province started picking hickory nuts, a local specialty, on Sept 7. The nuts must undergo a dozen steps before appearing on the market. Normally, the first shipments are available to consumers by mid-September.