You're nuts if you don't eat almonds.

November 26, 2007 8:51 PM

Almonds. Eat more almonds. They're good for you. The fall harvest is now in and you can get organic almonds online. Also, they're better than pecans.

Almonds are an excellent source of proteins, healthy fats, amino acids, minerals, and some important vitamins, though they are also fairly high in calories (but they're healthy calories!) It's worth noting that fresh almonds are a world of difference from stale store-bought almonds; and that they are in fact very affordable when purchased in bulk (and used as a part of a a healthy diet).

posted by five fresh fish (59 comments total)

Better than pecans?

I'll fight you.
posted by geodave at 8:53 PM on November 26, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

I like dried cherries and raw almonds as a snack. I also like pecans. Does this make me weird?
posted by Artw at 8:53 PM on November 26, 2007

My wife and I (mostly I) spend about $125 for a 25lb box of raw, unsprayed, BIOS-sourced product. So for about ten bucks a month I get to have almonds with my cereal, in muffins, as a snack, etcetera, as much as I want (and I tell you, I can pound back the almonds).

Chances are, you can find ten bucks a month in junk food that you could replace with something better. Try almonds!
posted by five fresh fish at 8:57 PM on November 26, 2007

The nuts are fighting again.
posted by Brian B. at 8:59 PM on November 26, 2007

I luuurve almonds. One of my favorite snacks is a combo of raw almonds, pitted prunes and dates. (And I don't have any of those in the house right now, damn you!)
posted by amyms at 9:00 PM on November 26, 2007

Er, that "mostly I" was in reference to the eating, not the spending. I gorge on almonds.

The almonds keep stupendously well in those foodsaver vacuum bags. I think it'd be dead easy to do a good job of packing them in a nitrogen-filled (think "whippets") mason jars. Even after a year in vacuum, they'll taste better than what you'll get down at the store.

Now if I could find a year-round supply of cheap fresh blueberries, I'd never have to eat another food. Oh, sure, I'd have the odd bit of bacon here and there, but not enough to count.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:00 PM on November 26, 2007

What does that first link have to do with almonds?
posted by mediareport at 9:04 PM on November 26, 2007

Also, they're better than pecans.

Better for you, maybe. No way are they better tasting.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:04 PM on November 26, 2007

fff said: Even after a year in vacuum, they'll taste better than what you'll get down at the store.

My store sells little bags of fresh, raw almonds that are absolutely the most wonderful things. Do they really save well in storage? If so, I could buy them up when I see them and have more on-hand.
posted by amyms at 9:17 PM on November 26, 2007

Thank you, thank you.

I just had some almonds. Anyone have almonds before?

They're the best!

You wanna know how good almonds are - to improve other foods, they cover it in slices of ALMONDS. If it weren't for almonds we wouldn't know what an Almond Joy is. "Thank you Almond, sincerely Joy the Third"

Slices of almond, slices of almond are like the fairy dust of the food community. Oh, you don't want this trailmix? BRIIIDDING!! Now it's your favorite snack food. Not interested in a salad? Bibity-bobity-ALMONDS! I just turned it into an entree.

But once you put almonds in a salad, it's no longer a salad. It just becomes a game of find the almonds in the lettuce. It's like your panning for gold "EUREKA!"

I never feel like I get enough almonds, its like in Almond Joys they're rationing it. "here's your two almonds". I want more! MORE ALMONDS!

Whenever I'm at a big brunch buffet and they have that big bowl with the 4000 almonds in it, I always think if I was here by myself, I would eat only almonds. I would steal this bowl go lay down and eat almonds all day.

How many almond jokes is he going to do?
posted by parallax7d at 9:25 PM on November 26, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Stop naming nuts!
posted by Wolof at 9:33 PM on November 26, 2007

For a treat, set the oven to around three-fifty, spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet (ungreased) and roast them for about six minutes or so (stir every couple of minutes, and start checking at six minutes. They continue to roast once they're out of the oven, so be careful not to let them go too long). Then eat them warm with squares of dark chocolate.
posted by haricotvert at 9:37 PM on November 26, 2007

Anyone ever try Almond butter? There was a vendor at the farmer's market in my hometown who sold (essentially) home-made almond butter. It was goopier and runnier than peanut butter, actually more like a viscous paste. I'm a maniac for peanut butter, but in my memory that almond butter heaped thickly on raisin bread is as close as mortal food can come to the gods' ambrosia.
posted by Hello, Revelers! I am Captain Lavender! at 9:53 PM on November 26, 2007

For those of us in the U.S., is there any way to be sure that our almonds aren't pasteurized with a carcinogen? (I am not affiliated in any way with the source of this information, and I don't know how accurate it is, but it makes me wonder.)
posted by Crabby Appleton at 9:57 PM on November 26, 2007

Almonds are in danger. Damn honeybee crisis.
posted by HotPatatta at 10:03 PM on November 26, 2007

Rather good in Soft Cell too.
posted by tellurian at 10:19 PM on November 26, 2007

Hands up if almonds make you die...
posted by Reggie Digest at 10:20 PM on November 26, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

(VERY GOOD)
Pecans
Cashews
Macadamias
Pistachios
Peanuts
Walnuts
Hazelnuts
Almonds
Unexplained original research on Yahoo Answers
(NOT SO GOOD)
posted by booksandlibretti at 10:31 PM on November 26, 2007

Reggie Digest said: Hands up if almonds make you die...

I sympathize, Reggie. One of the myriad things my son is allergic to is tree nuts. I am VERY careful about eating almonds in the house, and we've not had any problems (knock on wood).
posted by amyms at 10:39 PM on November 26, 2007

Oh wow! I eat almonds all the damn time! Glad I'm doing something right for once!

..he said, not at all expecting next week's "Almonds cause cancer" FPP.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 10:47 PM on November 26, 2007

What does that first link have to do with almonds?

Dammit, Opera pooched me again with its defective copy command. The first link was supposed to be the botanicals.com link, but that somehow ended up being fitted in as the second "almond" link.

Now to see if I posted an almond link in a thread about energy sources...
posted by five fresh fish at 10:48 PM on November 26, 2007

Tossing any nut under the broiler for a few minutes does amazing things for the flavour.

I'm very disappointed that I can no longer get truly raw nuts without resorting to self-harm. I believe one can avoid the poison-treated nuts by purchasing organic-labelled nuts; those producers will choose the steam/heat option.

I don't know whether the risks of salmonella warrant a complete ban on raw almonds. At the very least, I'd like the option of heat-treating them closer to the date of consumption, ie. after I've unsealed the vacuum bag/jar.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:54 PM on November 26, 2007

The almonds keep stupendously well in those foodsaver vacuum bags. I think it'd be dead easy to do a good job of packing them in a nitrogen-filled (think "whippets") mason jars. Even after a year in vacuum, they'll taste better than what you'll get down at the store.
-five fresh fish

The whippets are nitrous oxide, not nitrogen. I've no experience with using them for food preservation but have been considering picking some up to preserve silicone mold-making compounds. For food preservation, I was reading about using dry ice to preserve grains.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:15 PM on November 26, 2007

While this was posted I was eating like, a ton of almonds.

I like to scrape the skin off then divide them in half then eat them.
posted by Esoquo at 11:47 PM on November 26, 2007

Almonds aren't nuts, they are the seeds of drupes. Having grown up on an almond ranch, I can't eat an almond without remembering being woken by tree shakers, spending countless hours raking rows, and trying to eat them before they were ripe and being rewarded with a bitterness that has stained my soul.
And Esoquo, consider blanching the almonds to get the skins off, in large quantities it is a big time saver.
posted by arruns at 1:25 AM on November 27, 2007

I think the reason you can no longer get raw nuts is because Americans worry about food safety in a way that few other nations do. If you ask an Italian or a Frenchman what their criteria for food are in order of importance they'll reliably reply flavor first. Safety will be, say, three or four. With Americans safety is almost always no.1. As a result the US tends to mitigate against very small risks at the expense of flavor.
posted by rhymer at 1:39 AM on November 27, 2007

A farmer once told me the difference between an "almond" and an "ammond".

An almond is what's on the tree. An ammond is what you get when you shake the L out of it.

See arruns' post above if you don't get it.
posted by a_green_man at 2:36 AM on November 27, 2007

So why are walnuts on all of those "top ten wonder food" lists, and not almonds?
posted by StickyCarpet at 3:16 AM on November 27, 2007

Almond butter is the YUM. Just raw almonds ground up, no need for sugar or anything added to it. Much better tasting, and healthier, than most peanut butters.
posted by cyclopticgaze at 4:18 AM on November 27, 2007

So why are walnuts on all of those "top ten wonder food" lists, and not almonds?

The powerful and relentless walnut lobby, no doubt. DAMN THEM.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 5:07 AM on November 27, 2007

December 6th is St. Nicolas (Sinter Claus) day. Eat marzipan.
posted by Goofyy at 5:11 AM on November 27, 2007

The farming programme at sparrowfart on Radio 4 the other day featured a man who'd given up his UK farm and bought an almond farm in (I think) Italy. He said it was great, because with his old farm he'd always needed new capital for machinery, etc, whereas now all he needed was a new stick once every ten years (no shakers, it seems).

I was left wondering: if you're going to become an almond farmer, would you not at some stage learn that the 'l' is silent?
posted by Phanx at 5:30 AM on November 27, 2007

My ex-husband was a huge Edgar Cayce fan, and the ex insisted that, according to Cayce, you should eat 6 almonds every day to prevent cancer.
posted by tizzie at 5:46 AM on November 27, 2007

I am not allergic to walnuts. Nor to cashews. Nor pecans. Nor peanuts. I am not allergic to macadamias. Nor pistachios. Nor hazelnuts.

I am, however, allergic to almonds.

:(
posted by Lafe at 5:57 AM on November 27, 2007

Extreme health tip: soak the almonds in fresh water overnight before eating them. I've known this for years...and others concur:

"Almonds are classified as a "super food" because of their nutritional value, health benefits and flexibility in preparation and use. Almonds are high in protein, fiber, mono-unsaturated fats (the good kind), minerals, and other nutrients, including being high in vitamin E, an antioxidant.

They have shown positive effects with controlling cholesterol. Almonds also have an alkaline effect in the body, which can be enhanced by soaking Almonds overnight before eating."

Healthy Eating: Enjoy Almonds and Their Benefits
posted by rmmcclay at 6:00 AM on November 27, 2007

Nuts!
posted by kittyprecious at 6:03 AM on November 27, 2007

Almond milk rocks, I go through a gallon or two a month. I use it for a customized kids cereal (almond milk + maple syrup + cinnamon + crushed rice cake) or for example making butternut soup (pureed cook squash + almond milk). The un-sweetened kind is better so you can add your own sweetener, it goes really well with Grade B maple syrup (less sweet, more maple flavor). Europeans in the Middle Ages drank more almond milk than regular milk, since regular milk spoiled quickly and there was no refrigeration, real milk was mostly used for butter and cheese.
posted by stbalbach at 6:21 AM on November 27, 2007

BTW if anyone knows a good method for making almond milk at home I would be interested. I've seen soy milk machines. Raw almond milk with all the enzymes intact would be a real energy boost.
posted by stbalbach at 6:22 AM on November 27, 2007

Do you enjoy eating almonds? I hope you won't be put off by my frankness when I tell you that I absolutely love them. In fact, I enjoy no food item more than a freshly-roasted almond.

Now, I've done a lot of movies, and it's true that I've worked with quite a few celebrities who did not share this opinion. I'm sorry to say that these people have always angered me. There are two types of people in this world: those who eat almonds whenever it is possible to do so, and those who opt to do other things with their free time.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:27 AM on November 27, 2007

Allmans
posted by haricotvert at 6:56 AM on November 27, 2007

Filbert* > Almond.

*before you go telling me that Filbert and Hazelnut are different nuts, Filbert is a colloquial term for the Hazelnut here in Oregon, where most of the world's filberts are grown.
posted by nonmerci at 7:00 AM on November 27, 2007

Damn, damn, hell. I just got back from my corner grocery where I was tempted to buy a small bag of almonds and devour them, but decided against because I wasn't confident about how fresh they might be. And now I read this... and I could be eating almonds right now. *cries*
posted by taz at 7:03 AM on November 27, 2007

http://www.living-foods.com/recipes/almondmilk.html
posted by sfts2 at 7:21 AM on November 27, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

If you link to yahoo answers (and the almond industry) to prove a point, I don't think you have much of a point, actually. Almonds are healthy, sure, but so are other nuts. Walnuts contain heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids, almonds not significantly. Soaking almonds increases the bioavailability of some nutrients, but decreases that of others. Take any nutrition advice on the internet with huge tablespoons of salt.
posted by davar at 7:42 AM on November 27, 2007

In Guns, Germ, and Steel Diamond points out that raw, wild almond can be poisonous. His theory is that ancient humans naturally selected the non-poisonous almonds because they aren't bitter.

Humans would pick almonds from the non-bitter trees and carry some seeds back to the camp where some wouldn't get eaten, but dropped on the ground. Thus giving the tree an advantage in it's ability to spread the seed. Natural selection at work
posted by tayknight at 8:04 AM on November 27, 2007

take THAT jonmc!
posted by shmegegge at 8:04 AM on November 27, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Damn you almonds always the last be eaten in the chrimbo nut sack... after all the brazils and walnuts have been picked out, with jsut a few sour hazelnuts left. They are such swine to crack.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:42 AM on November 27, 2007

YES fearfulsymmetry! I keep a bowl of raw almonds and walnuts on my office desk. The almonds are a terrible pain to shell with bare hands.

Oh the agony.... I probably burn more callories trying to crack the hull without destroying the fruit than I gain in consuming it.
posted by butterstick at 9:57 AM on November 27, 2007

Wait a minute, is this nutrition data on almonds or is it the avionics display on my X-wing?
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:01 AM on November 27, 2007

Oh almonds!

I will ask my sweetie to visit the Civic Center farmers' market tomorrow, because there's a guy there who sells the most amazingly delicious almonds. I like the regular-no-flavor ones he has, but his cinnamon almonds... Oh my. Excuse me....
posted by rtha at 11:10 AM on November 27, 2007

I will ask my sweetie to visit the Civic Center farmers' market tomorrow

I know that stand... boy they are pricey.. but good...I like the BBQ seasoned almonds.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 12:31 PM on November 27, 2007

sfts2, thanks. Almond milk is as easy as almonds + water + blender. Must be why it was so popular in the middle ages. Extract the juice, feed the leftovers to the blender (ox).
posted by stbalbach at 2:13 PM on November 27, 2007

Wow. I had no idea there was a need for an almond post to MeFi. In fact, the whole thing was a lark that apparently only shmeggege understood (thanks, shmeggege!) Hell, I half-expected it to be killed by the moderators.

Congratulations, MeFi, for having a lot of users who love almonds. That's pretty cool, IMO.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:25 PM on November 27, 2007

Some say that it is wise to soak raw almonds for twelve hours or so in a warm place, ( seventy degrees), to initiate the germination process. Afterwards if you want to, roast in the oven at the lowest possible heat, (one hundred and seventy five or lower if possible), for ten to fifteen hours or till crunchy.

How to make almond milk.
posted by flummox at 6:38 PM on November 27, 2007

I still like pecans better.
posted by jonmc at 6:39 PM on November 27, 2007

So what was the joke then, fff?

*whips up a soy butterscotch almond milk latte for jonmc; it's his fave*
posted by taz at 10:36 PM on November 27, 2007

.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:45 PM on November 27, 2007

ah.
posted by taz at 2:17 AM on November 28, 2007

I just ate some almonds! I love them!
[NOT PECANIST]
posted by patr1ck at 6:04 PM on November 29, 2007