The Best Almonds

Who sells The Best Almonds?

If you want to buy the best almonds, then you need to consider the following characteristics:

Organic: At least with USDA organic there is a published set of rules so you know how the food is grown (National Organic Program).  Organic farming grows something living (almonds) from something living (organic managed soil). There are no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. If you think you just want to avoid the possibility of a harmful chemical making its way into your food, then clearly an organic certified product is a good way to go.

Pasteurization: All store-bought California almonds are pasteurized. With an organic product pasteurization is completed by exposing the almonds to a steam heat process. This process involves moisture and heat for a relatively short period of time. In some cases it may damage the full health potential of the nut due to the exposure to heat. There is a debate as to how much damage is done, but if you want to avoid the controversy, then going unpasteurized is the way to go. Steam pasteurization does increase the moisture content of the nut and can reduce its shelf life and contribute to rancidity if not carefully stored. Once again, stay away from steam pasteurization, (any store bought organic almond- Costco, Trader Joes, etc.)

For non-organic almonds, pasteurization is normally completed with propylene oxide (PPO), Yum Yum! Propylene oxide is a toxic and carcinogenic organic compound, I have no idea how the USDA and EPA allows its use for pasteurization, but NASCAR prohibits its use as a fuel octane additive. You just can’t make this stuff up!

Off-Ground Harvest Method: This is related to pasteurization.  The whole reason the USDA mandated almond pasteurization is because there have been and continue to be cases of Salmonella poisoning in almonds. This is due to the fact that most almonds are harvested onto the orchard floor and are swept up with the pathogens in a very dusty and dirty operation. So if you want unpasteurized almonds, then either take the small risk of salmonella exposure or get them from a farmer who practices off-ground harvesting where the almonds are not rubbed around on the ground during the sweeping and pick-up process. Capay Hills Orchard practices off-ground harvesting.  

This is what ON-ground harvest prodcut looks like, yuck!

Storage: Almonds are only harvested 1 time per year, therefore they must be stored. If they are stored properly (low temperature and mid humidity), you can get 1-2 years out of them with very little flavor loss. The problem here is the retail stores store them at room temperature and humidity, so they end up tasting like cardboard after a few months.

Processing:  Processing for almonds involves hulling and shelling, sorting and bagging. I suggest most hullers and shellers are effectively the same.  Sorting is an interesting topic. Really good sorting, where they get 99.9% of fungal, insect and machine damage out is possible when an expensive, complex operation is used where there are many optical scanners and finally a few human quality control technicians removing rejected material. The only problem is this equipment is very expensive for a single farmer, so to get this level of sorting you must use a large, third party commercial operation. According to pasteurization rules, unless the farmer owns this equipment, the sorting facility becomes a “handler” and therefore the almonds must be pasteurized.

So there is a trade-off here. If a perfectly “clean” product is important to you then you’re going down the pasteurization road. If you can accept some reasonable level of damage, then most small family farms can provide an in-house sorting effectiveness which provides a good product with the occasional evidence of organic reality. Trust me, insect damage in itself is not a health hazard as much as pasteurization is. It is a blemish. But hey, if visual appearance is more important to you, then that might be what you consider to be the best almond characteristic.

Off Ground Harvest Product

Customer Service: This one is a personal deal. What is important to you? For me I want to be able to talk to a real person who knows what they are talking about. I like extended hours and an ability for call, text or email.  I want the ability to customize my order. Seems now a days you can’t talk to anyone and when you can their English skills are poor.

Sustainability: This addresses what farming attributes you would like to support: organic, regenerative, soil health, hedgerows, cover crop, water usage, community outreach, biodiversity, environmental impact, etc. I can assure you almonds can be grown in a very sustainable manner with minimal negative impact on the environment and often a positive impact on the environment and community. But you may not know these things unless you have some sort of relationship with the farmer.

Flavor: This one if of course huge. If the almonds don’t taste good, then they aren’t the best. But this is in the mouth of the beholder.

Cost: You can buy almonds inexpensively at various retailers, but are they organic? Organic production has greater costs, you’ll have to decide if it is worth it for you. Almonds may not be cheap, but they are cheaper than the doctor or hospital. Eat well, live well, and support your organic farmer and family farm.

Now maybe we are at a point where we can put the best almond characteristics together. At Capay Hills Orchard we are not just certified USDA organic we are Real Organic Project certified. We do not pasteurize, we practice off-ground harvesting, and we store our almonds perfectly so they retain their fresh qualities.   We are not perfect with sorting, but we are pretty close.  We are a sustainability icon with a proven record of university research projects identifying this fact. Our customers rave at the superior flavor of our almonds and have a choice of which variety to buy.  See our customer comments. Finally we strive to have the best customer service among all almond sources. You can actualy have a conversation with the farmer. So where you get the best almonds, it’s your determination, but Capay Hills Orchard, is a clear winner.

What do you think? Please make a comment. Be sure to share this article with your friends who might be interested and who are looking for a top notch orchard to buy real almonds from.

Brian

The Farmer

You can buy unpasteurized raw almonds and almond butter directly from the California farmer at Capay Hills Orchard. Order off the website, www.chorganicalmonds.com or by calling or texting 530-507-8222 and talk to the farmer directly.