Are these raw?....

[ManyLittles]

I bought these in a store a while back, and completely forgot that most items in jars or cans are put through a canning process, and are usually not raw. They SAY raw on them, but you know how it is....

Raw Almond Butter in a jar by Maranatha
Raw Black Sesame Tahini in a jar--I forget the brand

Any idea if these are really raw, or did I waste a ton of money? Will I need to make my own tahini? If so, I saw a recipe, but it calls for soybean oil, and I don't have that, and don't know if I could find it or if it's even made, and if there is a suitable substitute that won't change the taste.

Thanks!:confused:

[earth_sista]

nut and seed butters get a little iffy. many people argue that during the grinding processes and such, the nuts and seeds are processed at temperatures beyond what is considered raw and i think i remember reading that Maranatha was one of those companies.

i think, if you want something that is really raw, your best bet is to order from a website like this one or other raw sites. or, just make your own.

soybean oil? personally, i'd stay away from the stuff. i don't believe i've ever seen a raw, cold-processed soy oil. im sure you could sub with a different oil.

[goodbeets]

I use those items regularly. I would e-mail them if you are really concerned but I think they are pretty reputable companies. They sell both raw and non raw and know the difference.

[kaybee]

im pretty sure that the maranatha is not really raw, but use the search tool on this site and i think you will find other threads on it.

the black sesame tahini, if the brand is artisana, is probably raw. but call or email them to double check

[ManyLittles]

now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure the tahini is from artisana

[AICgem]

Someone has already checked with Maranatha and they said they use raw almonds but they get heated to (I think it was) 140 degrees during processing. Artisana has a true raw almond butter, but I don't know since the whole pasturizing thingwhat they are doing now.

[kaleidoscopeeyes]

Oh dear, I've been using Maranatha. Thanks for the heads up!

[raweater]

I use those items regularly. I would e-mail them if you are really concerned but I think they are pretty reputable companies. They sell both raw and non raw and know the difference.

Actually, on the nut butter, the only difference is the start ingredient: raw almonds VS roasted almonds. I'm almost certain their machines cook it (unintentionally just from the friction of making butter).

I make nut butter in my food processor and if I let it run just a bit too long without resting to cool it will cook the butter just from friction.

[jacsam]

I know Alissa goes to great lengths to have the best on her website. :)

[rawkchicster]

there was a post a while back about someone who called maranatha, and found out from them directly that their "raw" products aren't raw. Ever since, I just buy Artisana... they're sold by all the reputable raw leaders, so... :P

[nmb]

Actually, on the nut butter, the only difference is the start ingredient: raw almonds VS roasted almonds. I'm almost certain their machines cook it (unintentionally just from the friction of making butter).

I make nut butter in my food processor and if I let it run just a bit too long without resting to cool it will cook the butter just from friction.


Darn, I just bought 3 jars of that stuff; almost ate 1 of them already. Really?

To make your own - just dump raw nuts in the food processor? Or do you add anything? Thanks!

[kaybee]

grind the nuts in a coffee grinder, then food processor the heck out of them, stopping at intervals to scrape down the sides and let the contents cool down so they dont end up overheated. eventually (after like 10 or 15 min) some of it will start to stick to the sides because the oil is coming out of it. keep doing until all of it is like this. voila--almond or sesame butter... you will never get it as thin or oily as the stuff they sell in the stores; i dont know how they do that. but you can get it to a thick, sticky, heavy peanut-buttery consistency.