Nuts - which ones are really raw?

[spaveg]

Hello all,
I would like to know which nuts are really raw and which are not.

I have been told that cashew are boiled, that pistachio are roasted and almonds are also cooked before packaged.

Is that true? If yes, how can I make sure I buy raw nuts and not cooked nuts?

thanks

[Living Food]

Very Very few nuts are truly raw. You generally have to by ones intended for sprouting, or else get them directly off the tree. Even most nuts labeled "raw" are dead, they just haven't been roasted - but they were still pasteurized or fumigated with chemicals. If you buy from the supermarket, nuts in the shell are most likely to be raw.

Is that true? If yes, how can I make sure I buy raw nuts and not cooked nuts?

Certain websites and health food stores sell truly raw nuts. If you go to websites that sell nuts intended for sprouting, or else from raw food websites (sproutpeople.org, rawfromthefarm.com, etc) you can find truly raw nuts. They're generally more expensive then pasteurized nuts, though.

If you search this site you can find lots of information about raw nuts.

[mtgrl788]

Certain websites and health food stores sell truly raw nuts. If you go to websites that sell nuts intended for sprouting, or else from raw food websites (sproutpeople.org, rawfromthefarm.com, etc) you can find truly raw nuts. They're generally more expensive then pasteurized nuts, though.

Why is that raw nuts are more expensive? It has less steps than a pasturized nut or roasted nut. Is it because they have to have a special license? I know with raw milk that license is very expensive so the milk is more.

[tofumond]

If you buy from the supermarket, nuts in the shell are most likely to be raw.

I buy nuts from the supermarket that lie there loosely and I can pick the amount of nuts I want (so, they're not pre-packaged). And they still have their shell (I buy walnuts, hazelnuts & peanuts - that's all they offer.) So they are most likely raw? Really? I'm asking again, cause I can't quite believe it..

They also have pre-packaged Brazil nuts and pecans without shell. They are probably not raw, right?

I hope I still get an answer to this, as this thread is pretty old. ._.

[MysticTree]

Part of this answer is - it depends. You are in Europe so generally nuts won't be pastuerised either with heat or with chemicals. If you buy organic ones then there really shouldn't be those chemicals. Many nuts with the shells removed have had heat used in the shelling process. There are raw nuts sold online and some people choose to be not too choosy when it comes to buying only raw nuts. In theory, nuts in their shells will be most raw. They may have had their shells treated on the outside so again the organic ones are the way to go. It's tricky I think. I can get almonds in the UK supermarket that are shelled and will sprout. That's raw enough for me!

[DebB]

I order my raw (organic) nuts from Azure Standard. They say that their almonds are 'flash pasteurized' for a few seconds and that they're still alive. I can agree with this as we had an almond tree growing in our compost pile!

[Living Food]

Nuts in the shell a the most likely to be raw of any nuts you'll find at a supermarket, but it's no guarantee. In the shell or nut, all almonds are dead (either pasteurized or fumigated). Some of the other unshelled nuts may be raw, but it's just as likely they're pasteurized. The only way to know for sure is to try and sprout them yourself; if they sprout you know they're still alive.

None of the cashews are raw either, but then they're not technically nuts (neither are peanuts).

If you want truly raw nuts you should get them from sites that sell raw food or sprouting seeds, although even then you'll want to check with the sellers to make sure. If you can get raw nuts, though, sprouted nuts are a real treat.

[Living Food]

If you buy from the supermarket, nuts in the shell are most likely to be raw.

Sorry if I caused confusion with my earlier answer, what I meant was that nuts in the shell are the most likely to be raw, not that they're very likely to be raw.

[MysticTree]

come to that, almonds aren't nuts either but that is beside the point. In the US you have a problem with pasteurisation. We don't in the UK. I specifically don't buy almonds grown in the US to be on the safe side. Since Debs can get her almonds to sprout and so can I, it seems to suggest they aren't dead

[Living Food]

Most pasteurized/fumigated almonds are dead. Azure Standard is one of the few sources of almonds that are still alive and viable in the US.

I've tested store-bought almonds, believe me...they're dead (in the US).

[MysticTree]

Most pasteurized/fumigated almonds are dead. Azure Standard is one of the few sources of almonds that are still alive and viable in the US.I've tested store-bought almonds, believe me...they're dead (in the US).

tofumond is in Germany.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

Nuts are a very interesting and misunderstood food by the raw community. There is the belief that nuts are everlasting and can be eaten all year around, but nothing can be further from the truth. Nuts are a seasonal food, they are a cold weather food mainly, so this should be kept in mind for very important reasons which will now follow in this post.

lf you eat nuts out of season, they will rebel. All land foods eaten out of seaon will rebel with exception of only one food, sprouts.

Sprouting nuts allows one to learn much about the character of nuts because it allows one to observe how quickly a nut goes rancid and how quickly significant electrical frequency is lost from the harvested nuts. After three months the loss of frequency is SIGNIFICANT, and the high fat content of the nuts are well on their way to going rancid. Six month old nuts are not health food!!!

See, this is the problem. How old are the nuts in the shops? Most are heat treated anyway. lf you want peace of mind, the only way to get nuts is to pick them yourself, but doing this you know how old the nuts are and you can study the farm and see if any chemicals are being used etc. Look for weed eating goats, this is always a good sign. You can't get health by convenience, you need to work hard for it and travel for it.

When buying nuts, always make sure you visit a small farm run by the owners, and not a farm run by an agent.

These are the main issues with nuts. Seriously, the nut issue is a very hard one to crack, it took me lots of work to work out the mystery of nuts.

Best to eat fresh picked nuts within the first 4 - 5 months max after harvesting. Best to also sprout various seeds for when the nuts aren't in season.

[tofumond]

Thank you for your replies! I'm happy I could revive this thread!

I found some online shops which sell raw nuts, so I can still order from there instead of buying them at the supermarket! But I guess now it's still cold weather, so I'll buy nuts at the supermarket.

[MysticTree]

lf you eat nuts out of season, they will rebel. All land foods eaten out of seaon will rebel with exception of only one food, sprouts.

Most things are in season somewhere in the world most of the time. If you are a locavore then you won't be eating anything shipped in but, you wouldn't be eating it anyway because if it's out of season locally.

Any nut still in its shell which has not been heat treated or chemically pastuerised is gonna be fine. Obviously not as far as you are concerned but you operate to a differently perceived standard.

As a general rule buying nuts from a company with a high turnover will mean fresher nuts. The other thing is that rancid nuts taste horrible so we spit them out.

[DebB]

I store all our nuts in the freezer. I've got the space and feel better with them frozen vs. sitting at room temperature. Even my "staple stash" (soaked, sprouted and dehydrated nuts and seeds) go back in the freezer, ready to use for recipes.