Frustrated trying to buy raw dried frut and nuts

[MysticTree]

Specifically emailed Wild Oats in Bristol about raw foods and they emailed back to say they stocked lots. I made a special trip in my lunch hour and there was almost nothing except some bagged sprouts!

I asked and apparently their raw expert was out at lunch but I was assured that all their dried fruit was raw ... the ingredients listed oils and sugars as well as the fruit itself. I feel rather let down :(

Georgina

[trinity082482]

lol. I have gone to grocery stores and asked if their nuts were "all natural".. and they would grab a bag of nuts that weren't coated in toffee and say here's some that are all natural.. mean while they are roasted lol.. or blanched or even mixed in with dried fruits, chocolates and coconut flakes... :D Silly stores!

[MysticTree]

I expect more from a shop that specialises in whole and organic foods!!!

Georgina

[trinity082482]

LOL Yikes that is a dilemma! :p

[crystalmoon]

Hi Mystictree, Im in Uk, in Kent & am having same difficulties. I went to another town yesterday cos the specialist whole foods store there said they had raw products & it turned out to be dates, sprouts & 2 types of raw chocolate bars! ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!
I started a thread asking if anyone made their own dried fruits in their dehydrators & if so how do they do it? Havent checked it yet but am hoping for some advice on how to make my own.
I cant find any nuts that state they are raw on the packets so Ive been looking for some in shells but cant find any.
Reckon Im gonna have to find an online store but the postage costs will really eat into my small food budget, Im a single mum with 3 sons.
Have you been able to find raw tahini in the shops?
Wil

[MysticTree]

Wild Oats had one pack of nuts -- pistacios -- which said they were raw but after what I was told prior to arriving and what I learned when I looked at the contents of the shelves I came to the conclusion that I didn't trust the shop enough to buy from them :(

Most of what they had was sprouted stuff and I can grow my own at home. If I come across anything you might be interested in I'll let you know CrystalMoon

Georgina

[MommyB]

I am really surprised about Wild Oats! There is one where I used to live and they have a ton of raw nuts etc. Of course they charge an arm and a leg for the stuff so I usually can't afford it. I was actually considering finding a place to order from online... if anyone knows one please let me know! :)

[lulushka8]

i live in London and while i can't guarantee that what i buy is purely raw, i think its better than some things sold in the shops these days... eg. i buy raw shelled organic pistachios from Waitrose in their fresh produce (fruit and veg) section, and their whole linseeds, buckwheat.. they also have organic walnuts in their shells. i never buy dates from holland & barratt /julian graves as i don't trust their raw quality, for one thing their dates are overly soft and pitted as if they've been steamed or processed in some way. instead i buy yummy fresh dried medjools from Tesco /Waitrose (comes in plastic box in fresh section -not dried fruit sec.). As for other dried fruits i make m own apples, pears, bananas, and tropical fruit for use in recipes, and i buy dried apricots, figs, and prunes from the Goodness Direct website (cheapest i've seen and free delivery over £35), i also buy organic currants instead of raisins as raisins are usually coated in veg. oil! hope all that helps! :) -Oh and i'm a bit exited 'cause my mum just came back from Syria and brought back loads of fresh raw pistachios with beautiful fushia husks on their shells! theyre not even dried, i've never seen anything like it!

[MysticTree]

I'll go take a look at goodness direct when I get a chance. Fridays are always a bit hectic. Thanks for the tip :)

Georgina

[crystalmoon]

Thanks so much for the tips, I can shop online at Ocado for waitrose food, will check that out today.
Ive got a local tesco nearby too...didnt think to check out supermarkets cos ive been using an organic box scheme for my fresh food for a couple of years & havent been in a supermarket for ages...I guess they have caught on to the need for good organic produce now.
The Goodness Direct site is great, thanks.
I also checked out some raw food online sites & the Fresh site has a few useful food items & also Shazzie's site.
I guess Im gonna have to get used to getting in supplies in dribs & drabs from lots of different places...Im on a tight budget so paying for p&p is a pain, am soooooooo glad Goodness Direct have postage offers.

[crystalmoon]

Lulushka8 Hi do you make your own dried fruit in a dehydrator? If so what temperature do you use & roughly how long does it take?
Ive just got an excalibur 5 tray but the instuctions that come with it all use very high temperatures & are not for raw produce
Thanks

[MysticTree]

I don't know how the prices compare but someone mentioned Shazzie's site before and I forgot to check it out ...

http://www.detoxyourworld.com/acatalog/food_and_superfoods.html

Georgina

[lulushka8]

Crystalmoon, i use an Ezidri with temperature control, i dehydrate EVERYTHING i make at between 30-40 C depending, usually i start them off nearer the 40 mark which is ok while they're still fresh & juicy. dehydrating fruit, breads, crackers and cookies does take a bit longer on such a low setting but it does work just as good and at least i know they haven't been over-heated.

...as for online raw sites, the fresh network is quite pricey compared to others, Shazzies is overall the best site in terms of quality, freshness, cost and variety. This is probably because they ship tonnes of stuff over quite regularly, and they distribute a lot of their foods and superfoods to the other raw online stores including Fresh (i was told this by an employee of Fresh). Personally i've brought food from most the sites including TotalRawFood, Fresh, Funky Raw, and Raw Intent, (& there's also Raw Living) but I shop from Shazzie's site the most often (bout every 3 weeks!) - btw, their Peruvian olives are to die for! also look out for the special offers on their homepage which change every month. Oh and not sure that Ocado offer as much variety as you'd find in a large waitrose store, especially with raw/organic stuff.

[crystalmoon]

Thanks for the dehydrating tips Lulushka8 Ive got alot of apples & pears from my garden trees Im going to experiment with tomorrow.
And a massive thank you for the shopping help, you have saved me alot of 'trial & error', I will place an order with Shazzie's sitenext week & am so going to try those olives! thanks again x

[MysticTree]

I'm going to try those olives too!!! But not everything on that site is 100% raw so shop carefully :)

Georgina

[lulushka8]

only too glad to help my fellow rawbies!:) also, forgot to mention that even though i'm vegan i do buy eco-kiwi raw honey from Goodness Direct which is (obviously) eco + bee friendly :D , and raw, so if you do eat honey than i'd recommend that one. As far as I know the coco-water, milk and nori on Shazzie's site are not really raw, so as MysticTree points out, make sure to read the small-print.