You may have heard that a few plant foods (including almonds) are unethical to consume. Above is a recipe for vegan almond cake (Rainbow Nourishments) which is fine, if you use sustainably-sourced nuts. The reason behind this is that nearly all almonds grown worldwide are farmed in California (where they use a colossal amount of water in a state that is prone to drought). Also big corporate farms use pesticides that lead to monoculture orchards, so bees get sick (more bees die in the US, than animals and fish slaughtered for food).
Avoid nuts for young children and allergies, and keep away from pets (macadamia nuts are extremely toxic). Don’t feed whole nuts to birds (choking hazards, esp. to baby birds). Salt is toxic to birds, so only feed quality brands (free from aflatoxins) in brand-named feeders (not mesh bags that can tear tiny beaks & feet).
The Bee Better Certified program gives consumers the choice to buy almonds that are grown/produced by companies that are inspected & certified (a bit like our Soil Association) to ensure pollinator-friendly practices. However, here we can buy almonds from Europe that don’t farm in the same harmful manner. Some people grow organic almond trees in England, though it’s unlikely that most of us will.
Forest Wholefoods sell organic almonds (recycle packaging at supermarket bag bins, if your kerbside does not recycle). These are from Italian nuts that have been shelled, but leave the skins intact. You can also buy heat-treated blanched organic almonds (grind to make almond flour or buy ready-made organic blanched almond flour).
For almond milk, Devon’s ReRooted Almond Milk (sold in returnable glass bottles) uses almonds from Italy or Spain, depending on season.
