Everything you need to know about raw almonds

California almonds are ripe now, and that keeps our squirrels happy. But California produces many more almonds than squirrels can make a dent in.

The Almond Board of California estimates that this year’s commercial crop will be 2.8 billion pounds of the nuts, down from 3.1 billion pounds in 2020, which then accounted for about 80% of the world’s supply.

All of the almonds sold commercially were — or will be — pasteurized.

This raises some questions. Why are the nuts pasteurized? Does pasteurization harm the nuts’ nutritional quality? Does it change their flavor or texture? Is it safe to eat the pasteurized nuts?

There are two chief reasons why almonds, even those sold as “raw,” must be pasteurized. The first is that in the first decade of the 21st century, salmonella outbreaks in the United States were traced back to California almonds, threatening our billion-dollar industry. Pasteurization kills the toxic salmonella bacteria.

Second, aspergillus fungus, which can grow on almonds, produces a cancer-causing compound called aflatoxin. Pasteurization kills the fungus and its spores, so treated almonds are free of both salmonella and aflatoxin.

But how are the almonds treated? There are two methods most commonly used. One is by exposing the nuts to steam in short bursts. These nuts can be sold as organic because no toxic chemicals were used to sterilize them.

A second method, most commonly used by conventional almond producers, is to fumigate the nuts with propylene oxide gas. This gas is toxic, but producers claim that after fumigation, the gas dissipates, leaving no residue on the nuts. The Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that propylene oxide poses no risk to consumers, but its website also says that “propylene oxide has been detected in fumigated food products.”

Both steam-treated and gassed almonds still may germinate, and so the FDA has ruled that they can be sold as “raw.” A small proportion of almonds are pasteurized by oil roasting, dry roasting or blanching in boiling water, but these are partially cooked and can’t be labeled as raw.

Pasteurization doesn’t harm the nutritional qualities of almonds, nor their flavor. But steam-processed nuts aren’t quite as crunchy as those treated with propylene oxide. If safety concerns you, it’s always an option to buy organic almonds.

Almonds are nutritious. Of the 14 grams of fat in an ounce of almonds, 9.5 grams are the healthful monounsaturated kind. Researchers at the University of Toronto asked a group of people to eat 2 ounces of almonds each day for a month. Those who did saw their LDL (bad cholesterol) drop 9.4%.

A 1-ounce handful of almonds delivers 6 grams of protein, or 10% of our daily requirement, about the same as one egg or an ounce of meat. That 1-ounce serving of almonds also contains 3 grams of dietary fiber, 35% of our daily requirement of antioxidant vitamin E and excellent stores of magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc.

Almonds were one of the first plants to be cultivated. According to archaeological evidence, people started farming them sometime before 3,000 B.C. The progenitor wild trees are from Iran and central and western Asia, as are many of our familiar tree crops (like apple, apricot and peach). The almond’s botanical name, Prunus dulcis, reveals that it is actually a stone fruit, in the same genus as cherries, peaches, plums and apricots. But it’s not sweet, juicy flesh we’re after with the almond, but rather the seed inside the pulpy husk.

Almonds are a multipurpose nut. Buy them sliced and toast them in a 350-degree oven for eight minutes or until golden. Add them to salads or on top of muffins, stick them to the icing on the sides of a cake or sprinkle them in soup or pasta for crunch.

You’ll find horchata, an iced drink made with almonds, rice or melon seeds, in Mexican restaurants. Serve horchata with homemade tacos or burritos.

Almond Horchata

Makes 4 servings

1 cup whole raw almonds

2 cups boiling water

1-inch piece cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

¼ cup sugar

Zest of 1 organic (or well-scrubbed) lime

Ice

Place all the above ingredients except the ice in a blender and blend on low speed for two minutes.

Over the next minute, work up to high speed, then blend on high speed for three minutes. Turn off blender, add two cups of ice and blend again until the ice is melted.

Pour the horchata through a sieve lined with two layers of moistened cheesecloth, catching the liquid in a bowl.

Discard the cheesecloth and solids. Cover the horchata and refrigerate for one day. This improves the flavor.

Fill tall glasses with ice and fill with horchata. If desired, garnish with a cinnamon stick and a twist of lime peel.

Jeff Cox is a Kenwood-based food and garden writer. Reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net