Almond Questions

[stevesgoinggreen]

I find myself eating a handful of almonds usually in the afternoon. But I have a questions about quality. I was browsing by Alissa's Store and I see that she sells raw almonds for 14.99 a pound and I can buy raw almonds at the local grocery store for 4.99 a pound. Why such a price difference? I want to make sure I am eating the healthiest product avilable so If I need to spend 10 more dollars I will.

Also it is nessesary to soak almonds for like 48 hours to get them going right or can I eat them just as they are?

[Shell]

Hey Steve! There are a lot of differing opinions about the "rawness" of almonds sold at health food stores, what with the whole pasteurization issue. I personally buy them from my health food store, but I think the reason the almonds sold on this site are more money, is that there is no grey area concerning if they're raw or not. You know you're getting a quality raw product. I could be wrong, and if someone knows better, by all means, correct me. It's up to you, it just depends on how much money you want to spend! As for the soaking, some find it easier to digest nuts when they're soaked. Soaking also activates the enzymes in the nuts.....that being said, sometimes recipes call for unsoaked nuts, as the texture of a soaked nut is a little different. Again, use your own discretion....it's not mandatory, it's all a matter of choice! I like the crunch, so I tend not to soak as often, unless specified for a recipe....although I don't tend to eat nuts by themselves either, so there you go!! Good luck, and hopefully someone can give you more definite answers!

[sweetpea76]

Any almond coming from California ( which is almost all of them) is pasteurized and non-raw, unless the product specifically states " raw & non-pasteurized". There is a lot of confusion because sellers are still allowed to advertise and sell pastuerized almonds as "raw" eventhough the pasteurization process renders them non-raw. So, my guess is that all those almonds we have access to at our hfs are not truly raw anymore.

I have been wondering about almonds still in their shell and I have e-mailed the California Almond Board to find out in almonds in their shell are non-pasteurized. I haven't heard back from them yet, but as soon as I do I plan to share the info on this board.

Until then, here is a link that someone posted on another chat board ~ they have some pretty cheap raw & non-pastuerized almonds. I have never orderd from them, so I can't vouch for their qulity though. www.almonds-from-california.com/cgi-bin/ppcart/ppcart.pl?cat&californiaalmonds

Or, there is http://rawfromthefarm.com/nuts.aspx, which everyone raves about.

Good luck & happy almonding !

[stevesgoinggreen]

Thanks sweeatpea and shell! It makes me mad that they can still label things raw even though they are not.

I will throw away the almonds I bought and order some really raw ones from Alissa or someone.