How to Milk an Almond (fresh homemade almond milk, easy)

Step 1 Measure and soak almonds

You will be using about 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of raw almonds out of the shell. Soak overnight in enough water to cover with a little water more, to provide room for swelling. Another easier way to measure if you want to make 2 quarts or 2 liters at a time, is that 1 lb (or roughly a half kilo) of raw almonds out of the shell, makes a half gallon or 2 quarts or roughly 2 liters of creamy, rich almond milk when sufficient water is added after squeezing, to equal that volume. You can of course halve the water to make an almond cream suitable as coffee creamer, nog base, cream pies, or other uses where milk may be too thin.

Comments

[osibisa]

first, i have to say--ilove your title (and love making nut milks)

"how to milk a hazelenut...I haven't tried, but hear it's delicious. and what about oats? The store-bought oat milk is very expensive and really nice. How much better some organic steel-cut oats..?

not sure if you mentioned it, but the water you soak the almonds in should be discarded, or added to youir compost, or garden edge...

the skin of the nut contains anti-enzymes whose job it is to keep the *tree*  from sprouting where the *ground* will not sustain it-- when you think abou it, it's a lovely, elegant system! But these compounds are bitter, and naturally, are anti-nutrient to people.

So, best to discard the rather dark water, after soaking.

[megmaine]

It's great to be getting so much info on the almond skin, both for, and against. Definitely worth exploring! But I wonder how squirrels manage to absorb nutrients, because they don't remove the skins from nuts, so the tree's defenses against itself seem no defense against squirrels.

Still, we aren't squirrels, so it's good to investigate.

I've also heard that the phytic acid in whole grains is an anti-nutrient, that limits or hinders absorption of other nutrients and can, in excess, cause mineral deficiencies? So are whole grains more healthy or less healthy, especially given that grain germ goes rancid quite quickly once the grain is ground, and most of us don't get grain within a few days of being ground, stored under refrigeration, so all that "whole grain" flour on the supermarket shelf is already rancid. Were people better off using white flour after all?

Food for thought~

[rattyrain]

The phytic acid is indeed an anti-nutrient, but it reduces (not necessarily eliminates) bioavailability of nutrients already found in almonds, so the net gain of those nutrients is likely to be positive.  I'm not really sure about other whole grains, though.

[marliz]

According to the book, Nourishing Traditions, whole grain is superior but should be soaked at least over night, then drained and used, to neutralize the phytic acid. Sprouted grains are even better, such as found in Ezekiel Bread.

Thanks for the instructions. A bit different from mine and I'll try it.

[megmaine]

I have also read that soaking destroys phytic acid in grains, so we may not need to even worry about phytic acid in the almond peelsor this mil, since the first step is to soak the almonds. If that destroys phytic acid in grains, it may well destroy it in almond skins as well.

[Blue Leopard]

Would the flavor change in any way if you used blanched almonds?

[megmaine]

I don't know, but some people here have expressed that  the brown skin of almonds is unhealthy. I asked for more details.
I like eating almonds with the skin on, but it pays to keep an open mind.
Let us know how it compares, if you do try it both blanched and plain.

[t.rohner]

I don't think the skins are unhealthy.
Look here:
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/135/6/1366

[megmaine]

Very nice counter to the other mentions of it being unhealthy. And thank you for providing the link to the research.
Perhaps this, like most issues, has truth in both stances, for different aspects, mechanisms, and reasons.

[t.rohner]

Of course, you are right. Like Stevia has been banned in some countries for beeing carzinogenic, if fed to mice by half of their life weight daily. (This research has been sponsored by the producer of Nutrasweet....)
Most things are poisonous, you could even die from drinking water. But then, wouldn't live be boring without it?
I'm a milk drinker, a cheese lover, beer brewer and occasional meat eater.
I loved almonds directly from the trees in Greece and i just made some almond cookies as a beta version for Christmas. They are delicious, even out of season.

Life is deadly, in the end. But it can be so sweet until then ;-)