On Tue, 14 Feb 2006 05:49 Robert Kesterson wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Feb 2006 01:46:27 -0600, Keith Thomas <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> Another of my pets is nuts. I eat only nuts that I have cracked from the
>> shell.  Preferably in season, too. (Walnut season here in three months!)
>
>I can see the "in season" argument for some things, but why would nuts
>need to be eaten in season?  It doesn't take any technology at all to
>gather a pile of nuts when they fall off the tree, and munch on them all
>winter long.  Even squirrels do so.

Have you ever tasted walnuts straight off the tree? The difference between fresh nuts and old nuts 
is the difference between chalk and cheese. Notice I did say "preferably in season". In the case of 
walnuts, they seem to lose some flavour in about a week and then transform flavour and texture 
noticeably after about four to five months. I can remember the cheap Chinese walnuts I used to 
buy - they were barely identifiable as walnuts compared with fresh ones.

Find a neighbour who has a walnut tree and see if they'll let you have some fresh ones as they go 
through the ripening. Don't buy them from a farm. Watch out for nuts with bleached shells - some 
of the bleach penetrates the nut shell. Good omega-3 source.

I'm learning about macadamias, too. I dry mine in the sun to give them a slight crunchiness. But 
I'm still experimenting there.

Keith