Storing Soaked Nuts

[Tracie]

I have a question on nuts. There are several dishes I would like to make and they all require soaked nuts. Can nuts be soaked, dehydrated and then stored in a canister like regular nuts? Will they last as long?

I feel like I spend most of my mornings figuring out what nuts need to be soaked that day in case I need them for a dish.

I wonder if this can be done with buckwheat sprouts, grain berry sprouts, etc.

Thanks for any help in simplifying this.

Tracie

[tracyinfo]

I have heard several people say that they soak their nuts, and then dehydrate them, because they like the crunch in them. However, I don't know how long they will store nicely. Maybe someone else will know.

I do know that, sometimes, I have soaked nuts, that I drain the water off of, and store them in the refrigerator for at least a couple of days until I am ready to use them. This helps me.

Blessings.

[PixieGreen]

Tracie, my soaked, dehydrated nuts have lasted as long as a month in the fridge with no difference in flavor. I store them in sealed canning jars. They may last longer, I haven't tried.

Christa

[Tracie]

Thanks for the information. That is really good news. A Whole Month! That is perfect. I can soak and dry a month worth of nuts and save a ton of time.

Thanks again.
Tracie

[rawpriestess]

Do not soak pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts or pine nuts.

I soak, then freeze, or soak then dehydrate and freeze, although you don't have to, I have had soaked nuts last about a week in the fridge if you change the soak water every day.

almonds need to be soaked 12 to 24 hours, all other nuts only a few hours.

Hope this helps,

Oh yes, seeds, it depends if you want them sprouted or not, like sunflower seeds, soak for a few hours, then let them sprout, rinse, let sit, rinse, let sit, etc, then you can dehydrate them and they will not last very long, as sunflower seeds will turn bad quickly.

I have never soaked sesame seeds, poppy seeds need only to soak a few minutes.

PS, I had to go back and read your question. my Old timers is settin in--hehe

Okay, grains, yes, I actually freeze them after I sprout them, grains usually soak 12 to 24 hours, or sometimes more depending on the grains, and then sprout for 1 to 2 days, rinse often.

then I freeze them to "save" them for use in recipes.

[Tracie]

rawpriestess....Ok, you are a lifesaver on the grains. I am so glad to hear I can freeze them. That will save me a lot of time.

One more question on the nuts. You stated you dont have to soak walnuts, brazil nuts, pecans or pine nuts. Most of the recipes I would like to try from Alissa's book call for walnuts or pecans. Yipee!!!!! However, I thought they called for them to be soaked. Dont they have those enzyme inhibitors or something like that? I just want to make sure I get this right.

Thanks for the help.

[rawpriestess]

YOU are right that nuts and seeds have enzyme inhibitors, so that they won't start to sprout in the wild, when they hit the earth, they WANT to be eaten by somthing and carried off inside the little critter, or us and then deposited with natural fertilizer attached in a different area, so they can grow into a big and strong tree there.

So, nuts and seeds have really good enzyme inhibitors IF there outer shell is soft (well softer) such as almonds, hazel nuts, sunflower seeds.

But if the outer shell is hard (not so soft) like a walnut, or pecan or brazil nut or pine nut, then you don't have to soak them.

You actually loose most of the flavor of these nuts if you soak them, also these nuts seem to have alot of oils in them, and when you soak them, you leach out the oils, and the flavor.

So, IF you choose to soadk walnuts, pine nuts, brazil nuts or pecans, only soak them for about 15 minutes.

Nuts like almonds you need to soak for 12 to 24 hours to release the enzyme inhibitors, and remember to rinse then at least 3 or 4 times during the day, and toss the soak water (do NOT use it in your compost as it will inhibit the enzymes that are breaking down your comost)--we don't even pour the soak water down our drain, as we have a septic tank, we pour it outside on the grass -- where nature intended it to be.

Hope this helps.

Until I actually took a class in sprouting, I didn't know the difference either.

I was soaking everything for 24 hours. I'm so funny.

[Tracie]

thanks! I didnt understand this difference. You have just saved me a lot of time and flavor. This is awesome. I love this place!