You know an apple a day is supposed to keep the doctor away. While the adage clearly isn’t specifically truthful, it is a concise reminder of the undisputed importance of including fresh fruit and vegetables in your overall diet. But wait until you can hear what a handful of nuts can do! 

As per usual, some of the claims you might come across are overblown and more interested in clickbait than actual veracity. Depending on what headlines you read, a mere quarter-cup of nuts every day cuts your risk of cancer, lowers bad cholesterol and raises the good, prevents obesity, regulates blood pressure, reduces inflammation, saves you from a burning building, etc. Okay not that last one, but some of nuts’ health benefits can sound a little nutty. 

That said, there is real research to back a significant quantity of positive effects from consistent nut consumption. In fact, as cited by the well-known Dr. Greger of NutritionFacts.org, “the most comprehensive and systematic analysis of the causes of death ever undertaken” came to the conclusion that simply eating more nuts and seeds could save up to two and a half million lives; saying it conversely, they calculated that a dearth of nuts is “the third-leading dietary risk factor for death and disability in the world…potentially leading to the deaths of 15 times more people than all those who die from overdoses of heroin, crack cocaine, and all other illicit drugs combined.”  I didn’t mean to quote that much, but it was such a startling conclusion. 

Even if we take a less dramatic approach, the evidence does point to a moderate level of nut consumption leading to a longer life overall, due to myriad nutritional reasons. In this household, my concern would definitely be not trying to get my family to eat nuts, but rather wondering if we were eating too many. All four of us have a penchant for nuts of all varieties; nuts might even begin to rival chocolate with their constant availability. At any given spot on our farmstead, you will be within a rather disconcertingly small radius of a stash of nuts. 

From where I’m sitting in the living room, I can see both Kiah’s snack container on the coffee table and Benson’s tractor-snack bag on the counter with cashews, and at least four different kinds of nuts in jars on my shelf. If I could see through walls, I’d easily see the multiple containers of mixed nuts, shelled and unshelled pistachios, candied almonds, chopped walnuts, and more, everywhere from the pantry to yes, my closet (next to the chocolate, incidentally). That doesn’t even include nut butters, nut flours, and things containing nuts! 

Nuts are a staple outside of the house, too, and heaven forbid if the tins of mixed nuts in the milking barn run dry. Benson’s only four but he’s been wise enough for several years already to make up reasons for going to the parlor, figuring he might as well grab a handful since he’s out there anyway. Now that it’s planting season and lots of Brian’s life is lived in a field somewhere, nutty options have migrated to various tractor cabs as well. This week we even got an Amazon delivery of mixed nuts from a sweet friend who knows our habits too well. 

So if sometimes you think I sound a little nutty, well, now you know (some of) the reasons why. 

Mixed Nut Butter

Brian is very gracious to share his canisters of mixed nuts with his scavenging family, but where we test his patience is when we try to curate our handfuls. I know, I know, they’re called MIXED nuts on purpose, but usually all I actually want is a Brazil nut (one of the four in the can…), and the kids head straight for the cashews. In the middle of writing this article, we had to go out to the barn for milk, and of course Kiah went straight over to demand some nuts; for once when Brian accused me of picking and choosing, he was wrong, but probably only because I didn’t see any Brazil nuts so I wasn’t interested anyway. Sometimes I try to be mature and just take what I get, but even then my grabs are localized right toward the good stuff. [Sorry peanuts, you’re good when there’s no competition.] One way to safeguard against pickers like us to make it impossible, by making mixed nut butter! The combination of different nuts’ flavors and textures makes this quite a treat, and something not on the grocery shelves. Don’t forget you’re adding years to your life by making and eating this.

Prep tips: a high-speed blender is pretty important here, but hopefully a food processor can do the trick. I typically prefer roasted nuts, but raw is good too. 

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 cup roasted pecans

1 cup roasted cashews

1 cup “fun” nuts: any combo of brazil nuts, pistachios, walnuts, macadamias

1-2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil, as necessary 

salt 

Pulse and blend nuts until desired texture, following your appliance’s recipe specs if it has some. Add oil if necessary to keep it moving, and salt to taste. 

Amanda Miller lives with her husband, two young children, and whoever else God brings them through foster care on the family dairy farm in Hutchinson. She enjoys doing some catering, teaching cooking classes, and freelancing, but mostly chasing after her kids. Reach her at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.