I can see the complaint about almonds

[menat]

I am not 100% raw, just mostly (must have my cooked beans, rice and Brownberry 7 grain bread...the rest can be raw) and since I only associate raw with mostly veggies, I never cared to put importance on conversation of raw almonds. Well, I guess I am finally seeing (or tasting) my store transition of the "pastuerized" almonds. The cooked almonds are less firm and sort of burnt tasting. Taste less fresh.

I think I will miss raw almonds too now. I am from the Midwest so I get my almonds mostly from Jewels. Will Whole Foods sell raw almonds?

These almonds just taste like someone left them in the oven a little too long. Bleh!

[Rubyred]

I bought some almonds from these folks:Almonds From California (http://www.almonds-from-california.com/cgi-bin/ppcart/ppcart.pl?details&californiaalmonds&1160270493&Nonpareil+Variety)
They are not pasteurized and they are really crunchy.

[Lady Green Jeans]

Rubyred,

Thank you for posting the link. Their site said the 10-lb size listed were a smaller size almond. Did you notice any difference over the store-bought varity? Were you pleased with the product and service?

Thanks

Kathy

[lore-ah]

I want to order from there, but I don't want to order 10lbs of almonds right now. Anyone have any other sources? I'm still pretty new to this :(

[Rubyred]

Rubyred,

Thank you for posting the link. Their site said the 10-lb size listed were a smaller size almond. Did you notice any difference over the store-bought varity? Were you pleased with the product and service?

Thanks

Kathy

Yes, I'm very pleased with their service. The nuts arrived Priority mail and came within a week. I also bought some pecans and walnuts too. Those come in vacuum sealed bags and they give directions on how to store your nuts so they stay fresh. Basically they recommend you put the nuts in glass jars (so they don't absorb smells) and keep them in the refrigerator. All of this shows they know how to take care of their harvest and keep everything fresh. The nuts are good for months and months if stored properly.

The almonds are a bit smaller than the last bunch I bought in my health food store. But it makes no difference to me what the size is. What matters in that they are fresh, crunchy and tasty, and their nuts are. I just made some almond milk and it came out delicious. :p

For storage, a large mason jar will hold around 2 1/2 pounds of almonds. My refrigerator is filled with jars of nuts right now....but, since the jars are tall and not wide, it doesn't take up as much space as you think it would.

I would definitely recommend this place if you can't afford organic almonds and other nuts. :)

[Rubyred]

I want to order from there, but I don't want to order 10lbs of almonds right now. Anyone have any other sources? I'm still pretty new to this :(


Here are two places that sell by the pound that others have used:

Bulkfoods.com (http://www.bulkfoods.com/order.asp)

Nutsonline (http://www.nutsonline.com/nuts/)

I haven't tried either of these places but others on this board have. They both sell nuts by the pound. I'm going to order some macadamia nuts from Bulkfoods next week, so I'll let you know how they are. Macadamias are around $41.00 for 5 pounds, and shipping is free if the order is over $50.00. It's expensive for all these nuts, but I figure I'll have food for several months. I really have no idea how long it will take me to get through all of these nuts!

[trinity082482]

I feel that way about many cooked foods.. I think my taste buds are ALIVE!!! :D Because when I have a slip and I eat something cooked .. it doesn't have the WOW factor like it once did, I think I had murdered my taste buds .. because raw food is so darn flavorful you only need a little and it seems like a lot! YUM raw! :D

[Lady Green Jeans]

Rubyred,

Thank you again for the great info. I know 10 lbs. of nuts may seem like a lot, but when you use 1/4 c here and a cup there--well, there they go! I'm not too concerned about the size either I guess--just as long as they are nice, fresh and tasty (and raw of course).

I have a wonderful roommate right now who is going to eventually go back to the mission field--anyway I have ordered a fridge for my garage so I can keep my raw food stuff like nuts and stuff in that so she can have room for her frozen entrees'. As soon as it comes, I will be able to shift my items and know my money has been well spent since I won't be pitching stuff that gets old tasting before its time.

Please keep us posted on the macs when you get them. May wait and combine the order for savings in shipping.

Kathy

[kimmerlee]

I bought almonds at Whole Foods that were labeled raw. Are they by chance not actually raw? I'm a little confused.

[luckitri]

Seems I read here somewhere here (and elsewhere) that they can label them raw when they are not.

[menat]

Okay, the almonds I am eating are not pastuerized. They are roasted! I didn't read the package before I bought them because the company didn't sell roasted almonds before and they are using the same packaging as before.

So yeah, roasted almonds suck!

[Doe]

kimmerlee, that link is www.rawfromthefarm.com (http://www.rawfromthefarm.com). Hope you enjoy them. :)

[veganman]

Hi Doe -

thanks for the post!

Just to clarify....we don't grow almonds. We sell raw, organic nuts and sun-dried fruits that we buy from farmers that meet our strict specifications (and we are obsessive when it comes to raw foods!).

Please feel free to contact us if you have more questions. We can be reached at rawfromthefarm@sbcglobal.net or you can contact me at veganman23@hotmail.com.

[portiz]

I bought almonds at Whole Foods that were labeled raw. Are they by chance not actually raw? I'm a little confused.

I have bought my current batch from Whole Foods as well. It was in the bulk section, but they specifically were labeled RAW.

[jocelynAZ]

Hello everyone! I wanted to share my experience with "raw" almonds from TJ's...

I totally forgot when the pasteurization order was to start, so I had bought a bag of "raw" organic almonds from TJ's last week. The other day, I soaked them and they looked awful in the water! They looked like they were all shriveled up, the color of the almonds were very dark (as if overcooked), the water looked awful and dirty, and they barely sprouted. Most almonds did not sprout at all. As far as taste, it was eh..ok. TOtally not fresh! Of course, I'm not surprised at the outcome since they really are not raw. But I was just curious to see the difference.

WELL...on Tuesday, I ordered 10lbs of truly raw almonds from D&S Ranches (I got the link on a post here on RFT) and they arrived today. Ahhhhhh, were these almonds a sight for sore eyes! It brought back memories to the "old school" almonds. LOL! You could immediately notice the difference. When I soaked some in a bowl, the water was clear, they looked normal with a beautiful golden color (not shriveled and dark like the TJ's ones) and they totally sprouted like they're supposed to! They looked ALIVE!

I'm so thankful that D&S has committed to not pasteurizing their almonds! I'll definitely keep ordering from them. Great customer service and I can't believe how fast I got the almonds! (within 3 days!) I bought 10lbs. for $59.99 and it came with free shipping! Actually, the cost per lb. with D&S was cheaper than what I paid at TJ's ($6.49).

Thanks to whoever posted the link about D&S Ranches!! :)

http://www.almonds-from-california.com/


~ Jocelyn

[Rubyred]

Thanks to whoever posted the link about D&S Ranches!! :)

http://www.almonds-from-california.com/


~ Jocelyn

Jocelyn, I'm very happy with D&S ranches also. I wish I could buy puely organic but I can't right now. 10 pounds sounds like a lot of almonds, but it isn't really, and if you store them properly they will stay fresh for months.

I used to buy at Trader Joes too, but now that I have found all these better sources I won't be buying my nuts from them anymore.