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The Best Way to Toast Nuts? It May Be the Microwave

Toasting nuts enhances their flavor. There are three ways to toast nuts: Oven, Stove Top, or Microwave. We don't generally recommend the stove top method, since your chances of burning them are greater. For either the oven or microwave method, we recommend tossing the nuts first with a light layer of oil. This allows for more even toasting and better flavor.

1. Oven - Spread nuts in a single layer and bake in a preheated 325-degree oven. (8 to 10 minutes for walnuts and pecans, 12 minutes for blanched, sliced or slivered almonds; 15 minutes for whole almonds and hazelnuts.)

2. Microwave - Add a half teaspoon of vegetable oil to a cup of nuts and spread in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave the nuts at one-minute intervals, stirring in between. Depending on the amount and type of nuts, this can take between three and eight minutes. Microwaving the nuts allows for even cooking from all directions, and cooks the inside and outside of the nuts at basically the same rate. Your kitchen should fill with deliciously nutty aroma. Enjoy!

May 05

By betty / Toasting Nuts, Microwave Nuts / 3,010,300 Views

The Joys of Houston

Well, the floods aren't on the list.

But whether it's flooding or drought, we are survivors. And there are so many things we love about Houston. We have the most wonderful restaurants anywhere, many of which we supply, and many of our customers are creative entrepreneurs, starting businesses that blossom even in our not-so-robust economy. It's fun to see, and we look forward to planning for our next Christmas season, as we start to do about this time every year.

But what we love most is our retail customers. People stop by all day long to run in, get a quick quarter-pound fix of their favorite nut mix or chocolate goodies, or order a slew of custom-packed tins for all kinds of events. And they chat, and we love it. Folksy makes our day.

So if you're in Houston, barreling down the Westpark Tollway, look for the Squirrel. And stop by - chances are we're roasting, and it's worth coming in just for the aroma.

Cheers!

Apr 22

By betty / Nuts, Houston Flood / 3,287,679 Views

The Amazing Brazil Nut

Brazil Nuts

These mild-flavored nuts are rich in nutrients such as selenium, phosphorus, magnesium and copper. They are grown in the rainforests of Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Peru. The trees often reach 160 feet, which makes the 5-pound pods reach a velocity of 50 mph on their descent. Each pod can contain from 10 to 20 nuts, and each tree can produce as much as 250 lbs. of nuts. They are cultivated in the wild and are naturally organic.

Significance to Humans:

Brazil nuts, shelled Brazil nuts are one of the most valuable non-timber products found in the Amazon, usually harvested from the wild by local people. They are used as a protein-rich food source, and their extracted oils are a popular ingredient in many natural beauty products. The collection and sale of Brazil nuts and their offshoots also provides an important source of income for many forest-based communities.

Did You Know?

Through projects like the Initiative for Conservation of the Andean Amazon, the Rainforest Alliance works with local communities to diversify their sources of income with non-timber forest products, like the Brazil nut. If properly managed, non-timber forest products provide income for communities living in and around tropical forests. In addition, they provide these communities with an economic incentive to conserve existing forest and reforest degraded forests. Brazil nut trees are sensitive to deforestation, and only seem to produce fruit in undisturbed forest. They depend on a rodent called agoutis for seed dispersal (they have sharp teeth that can open a pod), bees for pollination and other plants in the rainforest for their continued survival. If these other species disappear, so will the Brazil nut tree.

Source: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids/species-profiles/brazil-nut-tree

Apr 08

By betty / Brazil nuts, Amazon Forest / 3,179,111 Views

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