Yeah, can't help you with the cost of raw almonds in Australia. I stopped buying them from my local grocer because they were too expensive. Here in the States Trader Joe's has raw almonds for $5.99/lb. I used the Trader Joe's almonds for the 3 lb party bag I mentioned above.
Bulk packs are available on Amazon for around $5.50/lb. My wife picked up a 5 lb bulk package from the Blue Diamond headquarters store for $5.27/lb. I have 7 lbs of almonds left to smoke and experiment with for recipes.
The smoker's been cold for the last 10 days or so due to schedules. Hopefully this weekend Apple Wood Smoked Honey Almonds, Asian Hot n' Spicy Almonds, Spicy Chili Lime Almonds, Teriyaki Sweet and Smoky Almonds, and Costco Useless Fajita Seasoning Almonds. I'm making the recipes up as I go, shigg'n ideas off the Internet then seeing what I have in the cabinets I'm not using. Almonds are as versatile as pork butts or chuckies; just about any flavor works with them. I'll post the recipes that turn out good.
Interesting thing. I snack on almonds at work because I often don't get a break for lunch until 2-3PM, and sometimes no lunch at all. I always loved Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds. We had an unopened 1 lb package in the cabinet I took to work this week because I ran out of the home smoked almonds in my desk. I was shocked to realize yesterday I don't care for the Smokehouse almonds at all any more! They are okay because that's all I have, but now they taste so artificial compared to my home smoked.
Bulk packs are available on Amazon for around $5.50/lb. My wife picked up a 5 lb bulk package from the Blue Diamond headquarters store for $5.27/lb. I have 7 lbs of almonds left to smoke and experiment with for recipes.
The smoker's been cold for the last 10 days or so due to schedules. Hopefully this weekend Apple Wood Smoked Honey Almonds, Asian Hot n' Spicy Almonds, Spicy Chili Lime Almonds, Teriyaki Sweet and Smoky Almonds, and Costco Useless Fajita Seasoning Almonds. I'm making the recipes up as I go, shigg'n ideas off the Internet then seeing what I have in the cabinets I'm not using. Almonds are as versatile as pork butts or chuckies; just about any flavor works with them. I'll post the recipes that turn out good.
Interesting thing. I snack on almonds at work because I often don't get a break for lunch until 2-3PM, and sometimes no lunch at all. I always loved Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds. We had an unopened 1 lb package in the cabinet I took to work this week because I ran out of the home smoked almonds in my desk. I was shocked to realize yesterday I don't care for the Smokehouse almonds at all any more! They are okay because that's all I have, but now they taste so artificial compared to my home smoked.