It always amazes me when I hear just how long nuts stay fresh in the freezer. The other day I read an article that stated that nuts stay fresh and keep from going rancid in the freezer for up to three years!
Nuts are a great product to buy in bulk. I think buying food in bulk is the best way to save money on healthy food, and many of the tips for buying in bulk are the same for different kinds of food. Sometimes my friends and I go in on a membership to a buying club, like Sam’s Club. It’s a great way to make bulk purchases less costly upfront while still getting the low prices of buying in large amounts.
But the price isn’t the only thing motivating shoppers. A bulk product with minimal packaging has clear environmental benefits. The researchers at Portland State found that if all Americans switched to bulk purchases for common items, like paper goods, nuts, or juice, tens of millions of pounds of trash would be saved from landfills each year!
My favorite way to buy bulk nuts, seeds, and legumes is by the bulk bins at my grocery store. I get a chance to try new things without investing much money upfront and still get a lower-than-retail price. That’s a definite plus. When I decide I like a certain product enough to buy larger amounts, it’s good to know the nuts stay fresh for a while.
My kids enjoy peanut butter (find the history of peanut butter here) and are getting a bit more adventurous in trying new kinds of butter, like almonds and cashew. Nut and seed butter, especially organic, can be very expensive. However, making your own is easy if you have a food processor. Basically, you throw the nuts or seeds into the food processor and process until it’s done. That’s a great, easy recipe and a healthy snack when it pairs with vegetables.
If you feel really adventurous, you can even try to grow your own nuts and seeds. Seeds are by far the easiest to grow yourself. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are especially easy to grow and very popular to roast. Many backyard farmers have great success growing lentils and beans too.
However, I still think I will stick to buying nuts and seeds in bulk. I’ll let the experts grow them. Then label every container to know how long nuts stay fresh in the freezer.
