ALMOND JUSTICE

I'm Dylan--Pickles for short (or for the exact same length)--and I live in the FOOD JUSTICE house and enjoy it.  I know some things about some things and enjoy making up the rest.  So let's get started FOOD JUSTICE friends! The first topic I wish to conqure is finding out what possible secrets, stories, and scandals lay beneath the thin brown outer shells of Almonds?  Buckle up and get ready for a flood of emotions as you learn about America's and Jesus' favorite nut (they are one of only two types of nuts mentioned in the bible).

Almonds are very important to Californians (if they are not then they should be)--back in 2007 all 790,245 acres of land producing comercial almonds in the United States were in California's central valley.  This massive acerage produces 84% of the worlds almond supply.  Not only are Almonds important economically but they are important to personal health too.  Almonds provide vitamin E, dietary fiber, and unsaturated fatty-acids while lowering cholesterol and containing no gluten.  They are also very diverse in the kitchen which I will go into more detail about later.

It is commonly agreed that raw almonds are the best almonds.  Raw is the easiest and most diverse form of almonds, as shelling them is rather time consuming the avaliability of raw almonds is key.  However, due to two scarry cases of salmonellosis in the early naughts the USDA passed a law requiering all California Almonds sold in the US to be passturized or chemicaly treated.  The trick is that those Almonds can still be labled as raw when sold in stores, thus dupping us into thinking we are getting the full health effects of our beloved Almonds.  The way around this legislation is to go directly to the Almond farms and purchase from their roadside stands or to buy importated Almonds--both of which are very expensive alternatives.

No matter the way you get the almonds they can still be great but their nutrients may be harder for your body to access.  A simple way to increase your ability to access an Alomnd's nutrients is to soak the Almonds overnight in water.  This action breaks down the outer shells which inhibit nutrient access and makes the Almonds softer and a little sweet.  Roasting Almonds on a cookie sheet in the oven adds a nice rugged taste to them and increases the crunch.  There are also many recipies for homemade almond milk, though I have not personally tried one, all it takes is blending some soaked Almonds and adding whatever flavoring you want.  Making your Almond milk from scratch also allows you to keep or remove as much pulp as you want which is where fiber and many other nutrients can be found, so by keeping some pulp around your Almond milk is automatically healthier than store bought! 

Discover the wonders of ALMOND JUSTICE soon!