pistachios

[moribundman]

Now while they may give you cancer due to possible toxic fungal infection...

Cost Plus sells currently a 3 lbs (I think) sack of fresh, roasted and salted pistachios for only $10. The have an expiration date of October 2008.

According to a label on the bag, the shells have been naturally opened. As some of you may know, most pistachios (or rather the trees) are chemically treaded to allow easier shell cracking.

 

[sprintman]

I'll pass...s

 

[tom slick]

I only buy pistachios that come from Tulare or Kern County, Calif. I never buy dyed pistachios.
Trader Joe's carries good pistachios.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

Pistachios are good and very addicting. Ever see The Naked Gun?

 

[Pablo]

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chemically treaded

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Better for winter traction?

I like pistachio ice cream, and I'll eat some. Not all have aflatoxin, though.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zI1NKLmfP3w

Watch all or skip to 5:18...

 

[moribundman]

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I'll pass...s

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But you are still so young!

 

[moribundman]

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chemically treaded

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Better for winter traction?

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I blame those rum-laced nutballs!

 

[sprintman]

As I get older I have done a 360 on food. I buy it all and I buy organic whenever posible. How our supply of food became so comercialised and udulttrated would make a good thesis for a doctorate. Greed/profit would feature strongly. But a glimmer of hope. Farmers markets here are booming and growing stronger by the week. The general public here have had enough of overpriced supermarket junk and there's a strong move to food as it used to be. Love those nutballs by the way but the name needs a bit of work IMO...s

 

[Shannow]

what, like "let's get ready to...RumBall" ?

BTW, worst image that's stayed with me for ages was when I was 6 or 7, seeing a brazil nut in a urinal...freaked me out big time.

 

[moribundman]

Farmers' markets are increasingly popular in our urban areas, too. Our supermarkets are offering ever more "organic" products. It's mostly a new way of charging more. What's really organically grown or not is often unclear. Just because something is labeled as organic is not necessarily superior or less contaminated. Some organic producers can be trusted more than others. An informed consumer is likely to make better choices than one who falls for fancy labeling.

Our farmers' markets offer competitive pricing in case of some items while other items cost a lot extra. Even in the case of organic stuff, the buyer should still beware. Many of our supermarkets offer at least some locally grown produce that is just fine. For example, I just bought a hydroponically grown lettuce that was 100 fresh (still in its "pot").

 

[moribundman]

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what, like "let's get ready to...RumBall" ?

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Rumball 3000!

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BTW, worst image that's stayed with me for ages was when I was 6 or 7, seeing a brazil nut in a urinal...freaked me out big time.

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You weren't in Brazil at the time?

Maybe it was a giant kidney stone -- or a peanut?

 

[Shannow]

Nope, not in Brazil.

We'd just had an assembly where the principal announced that if graffiti continued, every single male in the school would be "penalised"...a whole lot of us six year olds developed a severe allergy for school, what with our knowledge of the language and all.

 

[Pablo]

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BTW, worst image that's stayed with me for ages was when I was 6 or 7, seeing a brazil nut in a urinal...freaked me out big time.

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Probably keep you away from nuts and sharp implements for years.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

What is a Brazil nut?

 

[moribundman]

A Brazil nut is a little radioactive.

 

[sprintman]

Luckily organic in Oz is well regulated with the toughest legislation in the world. One farmer sprayed his wheat, six months in the slammer. His first offence too.

 

[moribundman]

I have not gone over what country has what regulations and how they are practically enforced.

Anyway, I'm not necessarily talking about a farmer using pesticide and chemical fertilizers when he shouldn't because he's supposedly using organic sustainable methods. For example, the question remains in how far the soil is contaminated with pesticides and toxins from not only previous farming methods, but also from unavoidable contamination from water and air.

Because of these issues, there are several levels of "bio agriculture" defined in EU countries. The true organic stuff can be only grown in soil that has previously not been chemically treated and in which no chemically treated plants were grown. That still does not solve the issue of contamination via air and water. In how far maximum levels of residual contaminants within the context of organic food are enforced is not fully clear.

On EU bio products is a control number that lets the consumer track a bio-certified product from the vendor to a particular farm or ranch. This number can be decoded and shows:

country of origin
county/state
number of local control institute (constantly test local products)
Bio (can be used only on bio-certified products)
number of producer
number of farmer/rancher/grower

In the US there are several ways to get products organically certified (besides the pretty ridiculous "USDA organic"). All things organic are no grown equally. The lack of uniform standards (not everyone will ever agree) complicates issues. There is still a lot of trust required on the part of the consumer.

 

[sprintman]

On ABC News Radio I heard an organic fruit farmer in Nth Qld doing an interview. He said he had to log every single thing that came onto his farm or left including people. He reckons the paperwork was crippling.

 

[MarkC]

I hate it when they crush my nuts.