Nuts!!

I have a delicious kitchen tip for you today. We love nuts  here and we eat them in  small quantities every day.  They are so good , full of protein, nutrients and enzymes. We eat them as a snack , as add-ins to salads and bread, I grind them to make nut butter and flours.

Today I am going to show you how I prepare walnuts!!


Not only are they delicious but this nut holds fun memories of my mother baking brownies and me cracking walnuts to put in them!  even as a kid I had strong hands and my mom put them to good use!

I usually buy my nuts from Costco in 3lbs size

I am looking for locally grown nuts - that is something I can do for Pecans, Texas is famous for pecans, I will just have to wait a couple more months.


As-is, nuts  contain enzyme inhibitors. Enzymes are unstable, so they are locked up in the seed until they are needed. When are they needed? At germination and then as the plant grows.
So, that’s what we need to mimic in our kitchens! A germination (aka soaking).
The water tells the nut to soften up and get ready to grow. Then, voila, the enzyme inhibitors go away and the enzymes are free to use. (I realize this isn’t a scientific explanation of the process, but it does help us to imagine what happens.)
Dehydrating the nuts is optional. It not only helps to return them to their enjoyable crispy state but if you keep your dehydrator below 115 degrees Fahrenheit, the nuts will be raw as well. And still rich with enzymes!
Right now I use my oven, the process takes 24 hours but it is worth it.  I can't eat a walnut without blanching and dehydrating, I instantly have a reaction in my mouth that is painful to all the soft tissue. It isn't a true allergic reaction (like my daughter).  
For a three pound bag, I use two big bowls, fill them up with water and add the salt ( about 1tsp per pound of nuts)

 I make sure there is plenty of room for the nuts to soak

you wouldn't believe how gross the water is after I change it for the first time about 4 hours into the soak.  It is full of debris and a gross murky color.
After soaking for at least 8 hours I put them in a strainer and  really give them a few minutes of rinsing
I pop them in the oven on a cookie try - here is where having a dehydrator (it's on my list) would come in handy. I put it on the lowest setting in my oven - I was able to keep these at 115 with this oven using the warm setting


14 hours later ( In at 5pm and out at 7am)
I have these beautiful nuts.  they are light crispy and they oh so much  tase better - no bitterness whatsoever! An Added plus, I can ueat these, they don't make my mouth blister!

They keep perfectly in a sealed container in my pantry.  I also do this with almonds.  It is even more important with the almond because I grind them to make my homemade protein powder. 
I know this sounds like a lot of work and it kinda is but once I tried it I never went back to using the walnuts with out blanching and dehydrating.  It is worth the effort.
Thanks for stopping by.  
Ginny M



For a look at how we are 'read' go here to Steve's blog


Comments

Steven M said…
I just want to say that the nuts really do taste better after they have been blanched and dehydrated. I would not have thought it would be that much different but it is. I have to keep from eating too many at once. Thanks for all the hard work hun :)
I missed this post - I must try it. Thanks GinnyBlessings
Maxine

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