Shell shock: We’ve got the nuts

31 August 2016 - 10:10 By Erica Platter

Home-grown is best, isn't it? Local, fresh and seasonal rule, don't they? And all those other desirable tags such as "organic" and "free-range" and "grass-fed"? So why is it, when it comes to nuts, that anything from anywhere goes? Take almonds. Produce of California, mostly, the ones you see here. Who knows how old they are, how they might have been treated to ensure their exportability, whether their nutritional value is enhanced (or not) by maturity and distance, and so on and on?The reason foreign almonds dominate the market is that not nearly enough are locally grown. There are very few almond plantations (the Klein Karoo has the biggest), and altogether they produce only about 80 tons a year. Whereas a major nut processor such as Montagu needs to import at least triple that quantity to meet demand.Inspect the packets in any local supermarket, or even health shop, and you will see. The nuts may be "packed in South Africa" but they have flown or sailed from all over the world. Hazelnuts from Turkey; walnuts from China and the Ukraine; pistachios from Iran; cashews not necessarily from Mozambique, could be Indian, Brazilian or Vietnamese. Brazil nuts are from Bolivia. Most of our pecans are imported from the US. South African pecans are a relative rarity despite being our second-largest nut crop.Some nut packets tell you everything but their provenance. "Rich in vitamins", that sort of stuff. And "best before" (though harvest dates are rarely noted). No details whatsoever come with those bulk food store nuts which cascade out of plastic containers into your cellophane bags.So why are nuts exempted from the requirement, or even the trend, for traceability? (Green beans from Peru, Norwegian salmon, and so on.) I cannot find the answer, so have elected to avoid the question. Instead I choose the nut that speaks with the loudest local accent, which does not need a visa, which is reliably a fresh product of a home-grown industry: the macadamia.South Africa has now taken over from Australia as the world's largest macadamia producer - with plantations in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and KZN.Our macadamias travel far and wide. They are South Africa's biggest agricultural export to the US, for example, and greatly in demand in NIS form in China. No, nothing to do with the National Intelligence Service. Nuts In Shell.And still, we consume more foreign almonds than local macadamias. Gluten-free bakers seem to go for almond flour instead of the equally gluten-free, lowest-carb macadamia flour. And while the nut's mono-unsaturated fat quality is right up there with avocados and olive oil, it remains relatively unsung. Just because almonds, for example, are recommended in a diet, does not necessarily mean they cannot be substituted.Come on, local nut growers. Blow your own trumpets louder. And come on local consumers: scrutinise your nuts.Home Grown at the Litchi Orchard is a good source of locally farm-grown pecans and macadamias: Seaforth Avenue, Salt Rock, KZN, info@litchiorchard.co.za..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.