Macadamia Source & Prices

A few days ago, in the post about macadamia nuts, I mentioned that the macadamias you get in the store are often shipped across continents- which means you are not getting the freshest product, not to mention the economic and ecologic cost of transportation & fuel.

And- look! A perfect example- I saw this in a local health food store today:

Macadamia Nuts, Part Two

Yesterday I shared some photos from our visit to the macadamia grove. Today, I'll pick up where those left off.

Yesterday's photos included the nuts, in their green husks, on the tree. Here is a photo of the husk cut away to reveal the nut in the shell:

When the macadamia nut is mature, the husks split open, and the nut falls to the ground.

Here are two different varieties of macadamias, in their shells

The nuts are then dehydrated:

And then packaged for delivery. They are usually sold already shelled (I've never seen one sold in the shell?)

Trivia: Macadamia nuts have the hardest shell of any nut, and it requires a special tool to crack them open. 

When we visited the grove in March, Joan purchased a little tree. Here is Bailey next to the little itty bitty macadamia tree:

That little tree is now planted in our backyard. If we feed and water it properly, after two years, it should start producing nuts. 

OK, that's it for the macadamia lesson, for now. I'm sure I'll be writing about macadamias again over the next few months.

Photo source

Macadamia Nuts

I have wanted to write about our local macadamia grove for months- and I'm finally getting around to it. Actually, the timing will work out well, because I can show you the spring photos and now harvest photos.

First, a little background about macadamia nuts. They are high in oleic acid (the same "good fat" found in olive oil). Oleic acid is an omega-9 fatty acid, and has been shown to reduce overall cholesterol levels, while increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol and reducing LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Omega fatty acids are beneficial for cardiovascular and neurological (brain!) health. Macadamia nuts are also high in palmitoleic acid, another monounsaturated fatty acid linked with reducing cholesterol, and aiding in fat metabolism. Macadamia nuts are strongly anti-inflammatory, and are a great source of thiamin, iron, magnesium, copper and manganese.

Raw macadamias are a versatile RAW food ingredient- they can be used to make creams, crusts, cookies, cheeses, and sauces- but they are nearly impossible to find- and when you do find them, they are incredibly expensive. This week at Whole Foods, raw macadamias are going for $21.99/lb. 

The macadamias you find in the store are often from Hawaii, Australia, Africa or Brazil. This week, the ones at Whole Foods came from Kenya. For me, it's hard to justify the fuel cost for shipping those nuts across continents. Not to mention, they've been shelled, packaged, and transported, for who knows how long, in who knows what temperatures (macadamias are high in oils and should be kept at low temperature to prevent rancidity). Consequently, you wind up with a very ecologically expensive and financially costly product, that doesn't even taste as good as nature intended.

Imagine my joy when I discovered a local grove and arboretum that specializes in macadamia trees. When I first learned there was a macadamia grove in Florida, I had to see it. I had never seen macadamias on a tree. In fact, I'd never even seen one in a shell. I was curious about what they looked like, and how they grow.

As it turns out, IFAS (Florida Ag Extension) didn't think macadamias could grow in Florida. But Mr. Anderson, the owner and operator of Anderson's Macadamia Grove, proved them wrong. He started out as a hobby farmer and rare fruit grower/collector, and now he has a 20-acre grove with over 50 varieties of macadamia nuts. Some of the varieties he has cultivated himself, others are from Australia or Hawaii.

Macadamias are a new crop for Florida. Not many people know they grow here. In fact, I don't think I've talked to anyone who realized that they grow here, but for a few serious gardeners and rare fruit hobbyists who have planted macadamia trees in their yards.

So, this past March, Joan, Bailey and I took a trip out to the Anderson grove. Mr. Anderson was very kind to take us around the property and show us the trees, and how they grow.

And... now that I want to post photos of that trip, I can't seem to find all of them. I had a particularly cute one of Bailey sitting in the grove, but I can't seem to find it now.  *Imagine adorable Bailey pic here*

This may be a good place to mention that macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs. Do not feed macadamia nuts to your dog!

Here are some photos from the grove:

I typed 30+ year old trees on this photo when I edited it in March- but I might be wrong about that. Those might only be 15 year old trees. I'll ask when I go out there again.

The trees in bloom:

The nuts will grow in clusters on these stems.

Here is what the trees look like now, with the nuts growing on the trees:

The green layer is called a husk. Inside the husk is the shell. Inside the shell is the nut:

Different variety: 

This is not my photo below, but one I found on the internet that shows the husk-shell-nut:

Photo source

I am going to stop here for now... Blogger is not cooperating with me today, and right now it won't let me upload any more photos. I'd like to finish this post before publishing it, but it's long enough as it is, so I'll just publish what I have and continue in a new post tomorrow. Ah, the suspense! LOL

Key Lime (Mini!) Pies

I created this recipe for an online recipe contest. I am so nervous and excited... this is my first contest! Click for more on Vegan Culinary Crusade's Raw Recipe Challenge, and to see the other beautiful entries. Wow. 

Since I'm in Florida, I decided to make... what else? Key Lime Pie! It's the state pie, you know : ) Can you believe that Key Limes and macadamias are both local? As in- people have them in their back yards??? How amazing is that? (I have to remind myself of the good things about Florida while we melt in the summer heat and humidity right now) Three months of sweltering heat... ah, it's the price we pay to have tropical fruits in the back yard... 

OK... here goes... enjoy, with warm wishes from Florida! xo

Bailey the Beach Dog 

(and Healing Kitchen mascot :)

Raw Vegan Key Lime Mini Pies

Makes three 4"pies

Ingredients

For the crust
3/4 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
Approximately 10 pitted dates, unsoaked
Pinch himalayan salt

For the key lime filling
1 cup soaked cashews
2 tablespoons key lime juice (if you can't find key limes, persian limes will do) Reserve a slice of lime or curl some lime zest for garnish
2 tablespoons light agave nectar
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
Approximately 1/4 cup filtered water (just enough to blend)
Teeny pinch of himalayan salt

For the vanilla creme (you will have extra vanilla creme)
1 cup soaked cashews
3 tablespoons light agave nectar
1 vanilla bean- scraped or ground whole in coffee grinder (see this post)
Approximately 1/4 cup filtered water- enough to blend to a creamy texture

Method

Crust
Briefly pulse macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and himalayan salt in food processor until dry and crumbly. Don't overprocess or the crust will become oily.

Add dates and process until combined. Amount of dates will vary- you want a consistency that will stick together when you press it between your fingers.

Press the mixture into your desired pie pan.

Set pie crusts aside. Tip: put your pie shells in the freezer while making the filling. When you are ready, the cold crust slides out of the tart pan much easier. (or maybe this is just because I'm in Florida, where it is so hot that things tend to melt just sitting on the kitchen counter? LOL)

Filling
Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix or blender. Pour into pie shells.

Gently slide crusts out of tart pans. Add a slice of lime for garnish:

Vanilla creme
Blend all ingredients in Vita-Mix or blender.
Place a dollop of vanilla creme on each key lime pie:

Enjoy!

Note: You will have extra vanilla creme. You can use it to make more filling, make another pie, use it in a berry parfait for tomorrow's breakfast- or just eat it with a spoon. Ha. OK, try not to just eat it with a spoon. I'm sure you will find something delicious for the vanilla creme. You can't really make half a recipe for the creme, because there won't be enough volume for the blender to blend. But a little extra vanilla deliciousness is not a bad thing!

I used the leftover vanilla creme to make mini black forest pies. I had an abundance of fresh cherries in my refrigerator, and what better way to use them than (more) pie. Mmmm!

Pssst... did you know that cashews are one of the world's healthiest foods? Click here for more nutritional information about cashews, limes, dates, and pine nuts

*This post also linked on Cybele Pascal's Allergy Friendly Friday and Diet, Dessert and Dogs' Summer Wellness Weekends. Click on over and take a look at the other great allergy-friendly and healing recipes!

Macadamia Nut Pancakes

This morning I had macadamia waffles. Well, OK, not exactly... I was eating raw macadamias from the bag as I was making a raw vegan pie crust. Then I made waffles... so actually, I had macadamias then waffles...

But it reminded me of a recipe I created a few months ago, when I was going a little crazy with both macadamias and coconut. I tried several versions at the time, including one with orange syrup, which was amazing. Enjoy!

Coconut Macadamia Pancakes (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)
Yield: 8-10 small pancakes

Ingredients
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp corn-free baking powder
1/4 tsp himalayan salt
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
Approximately 1/2 cup seltzer water
2 tsp grapeseed oil
2 Tbsp raw cane sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp chopped macadamias*
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Method
In a large bowl, mix brown rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla powder.
In a small bowl, mix seltzer water, oil, sugar, and egg.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.
Stir in shredded coconut and 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts.
Ladle batter by 1/4 cup measure onto hot griddle. Flip when bubbles start to form.
Tip: keep pancakes warm in a 200 degree oven while cooking all pancakes.
Serve piping hot with warm syrup. Top with remaining 1 Tbsp chopped macadamia nuts.

*Tip: Macadamia nuts do not have much flavor when raw. I recommend using roasted macadamia nuts for this recipe.

Fluffy AND gluten-free!
Vanilla bean specks... Mmmm

Macadamia Syrup

Ingredients
1/3 cup light agave nectar (I imagine you could also use pure maple syrup, honey, or Lyle's Golden Syrup)
1/4 cup macadamia butter

Best method: combine in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring continuously, until melted and thoroughly combined. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
Lazy method (what I did): combine in a small pyrex measuring cup, and microwave for 30 seconds. Stop, stir, and heat again in 10-second intervals if necessary. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.

I cannot recall what I did to make orange syrup, but my guess is that I used the same method, using 1/3 cup agave and 1/4 cup orange juice (no nut butter).

Find health and other interesting information about coconut here and here
Find health benefits of macadamia nut here