Thursday, August 30, 2012

Almonds Are A Staple

I finally got out to walk yesterday.  Travis and I walked around the block once and that was all I could do.

Travis fixed us green smoothies for lunch.  I don't know what all he put in them, but I do know it had dandelion greens, grapes, bananas, and kiwi.  The dandelion greens came up as volunteers in a pot of flowers in front of our house.  He also put in five dates.  It was super sweet.
This is volunteer dandelion greens that found a home in our pot of ornamentals in front of our house.
Lunch was green smoothie, watermelon, orange, avocado and a goody ball.  The watermelon is not so good.  I think it's too old.  We bought a new one at Walmart last night.  Hopefully, it will taste better.

I was craving salt last night, so I ate three bowls of sauerkraut.  Dinner was sauerkraut; green salad (made with romaine, cucumber, parsley, chives, oregano, mushrooms, tomato, and orange juice); and almonds.  I had a few bites of watermelon, but it wasn't very good.

Raw almonds are a staple in a raw food diet.  They can be eaten plain or used to make almond milk, almond butter, or a nut cheese.  The entire bottom hydrator tray in our refrigerator is dedicated to raw almonds.  We buy 25 lbs at a time, and 25 lbs will fill the tray to the brim.

When I first went raw I had trouble finding a source for raw almonds.  At first I used almonds from Walgreens which I thought were raw, but they were actually labeled "natural". Labeling laws are quite confusing because now the law allows for pasteurized almonds to be falsely labeled as "raw".  Almost all almonds sold in the United States are pasteurized, thus no longer alive.  Our only recourse is to buy directly from the grower.

Briden Wilson Farm is our current supplier.  They are located in Arbuckle, CA.  It is a family farm where the owners, Tom and Rebecca live in a very small farmhouse with three kids.  This years almond crop is almost ready.  You can order by calling 530-476-3446.  Here is a link to their website:
Briden Wilson Farm

We used to buy from Organic Pastures but their website says they can only sell to people who physically walk into the door.  They recommend buying from a company called Azure Standard.  They look promising, but I haven't ordered anything from them.
Azure Standard

My go-to company, Nuts.Com, assures me their almonds are truly raw.  I have not bought almonds from them, but I have purchased nuts, seeds, and dried fruits galore from them.  They give superb service.
Nuts.Com

Here's a good recipe to try using almonds.

Almond Tomato Dressing
Soak 1 cup almonds
Soak 1 cup sun dried tomatoes (or use fresh tomatoes)
Handful of cilantro
Mix all in Vitamix with water for desired consistency


To health and happiness.

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