Almond sprouting (forum)

Sunshine starts with ...
Is it possible to sprout almonds? I have tried several times and no success. I just keep a few almonds in small container and covered with water. Maybe I am doing something wrong?

Time: 13th August 2013 12:28pm

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About the Author Sunshine
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Brain says...
being a stone fruit, I thought you need stratification of the seed. I.e. put in fridge in a moist (but not wet) zip lock bag for a few months.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratification_(botany)

Also, is your almond handled and processed?

I've never tried almond but have had success in plums and apricots seed gemination.

I've also cheated by buying an Almond plant from Daley. Looking forward to my very own grown almond ... it could be a lost cause as Brisbane is probably too warm. Oh well.

Time: 13th August 2013 2:23pm

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About the Author Brain
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Sunshine says...
Brain, thank you so much for this information. I am not really knowledgeable on this topic,... learning now.

So, it's obviously not to expect them to sprout as wheat or chickpeas would.

I have tried different almonds, from market, traditional, without chemicals, organic.. all the same.


I have also heard that all almonds in supermarkets are pasteurized so even they are said to be RAW they are not really raw as pasteurization is killing some life of them. That is being done in a reason to make them last longer on shelves, otherwise they would mold. Do you know this to be true?

I have actually several questions here, any ideas on any is welcome!!!

Do you also know if they would grow in Sydney? too hot or too cold?

Time: 15th August 2013 12:09pm

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Brain says...
i'm not an almond or stone fruit expert, so don't quote me but I will be more than happy to share my 2 cents.

In a blue moon, you might find the almond (or stone fruits) seeds geminated without any assistance. But most people try the fridge trick to ensure higher success rates.

Sydney should be ok for Almond. I take Sydney gets around 500-600 Chill hours and Almond are reported to need as little as 300.

pasteurization = heat to kill like you said, moulds, bacteria, fungus etc. So in essence it is treated.

Depending on the type of almond - hard shelled, soft shelled or paper shelled, they might be subject to some damage when the shell is cracked and almond extracted. So you are probably up against some challenge.

I'm going to suggest you try the ones at market again and ask the seller if they are local unprocessed almonds (i.e. not imported) and if yes, give the fridge treatment a go. Or alternatively, go to a health shop or nuts supplier and ask for untreated local almond with shells - and be careful cracking open the shells to ensure no damage to seeds.

The only last thing I suggest is do this soon, as you will need almond in the fridge for a few months and by the time it's out of fridge is early summer. Also, try some peach, plum seeds as well, that way, at least if peach/plum geminated, it's the almond seed that is not viable and not the technique.

above all, good luck!




Time: 15th August 2013 1:49pm

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Sunshine says...
Brain, thank you so much. You gave me so much good information.

Are we just confirming here : if treated (pasteurised or otherwise)they wouldn't sprout, as they are not alive?

I am just also thinking, if pasteurised almonds (and all other food in general) is not really live food - then we have been ripped off seriously.

You know, it might be that all that gives us energy is air, sun and water - and live food. What is not live is just rotting in us and creating illnesses...

Thank you so much, I'll try this exercise
1. find untreated almonds - though much more expensive it's worth it (saves on medical expenses later on in life)
2. sprout (or get a tree ha-ha)
3. grow

I'll let you know where am I up to!



Time: 16th August 2013 1:02pm

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About the Author Sunshine
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Brain says...
Without knowing what treatment the almond went through, I can't say for sure. Considering you haven't succeed in germinating any almond seeds, I'm inclined to say they are not viable due to being handled and processed. Any food technologist among us who can answer?

To be honest, I wouldn't mind eating some processed food. Yes, some nutrients are lost during the cooking/pasteuration process but I prefer less nutrients than getting sick or even death from food poisoning. it's a trade off.

I think the key is eating as natural and as healthy as you can, provided it is safe to do so. I think raw milk is a case in point, unless you have your own cow and a hygienic farm practices ...

Back on topic, do the seed thing if you are patience person. Because I don't know how long it would take from seed to big tree to fruit, it would be at least a few years or more. Also, there is some questions on cross pollination. For example, you might not get a peach from a peach seed as the farms these days grow all sort of stone fruit and they hybridise easily. To avoid disappointment and to speed up the process, get a tree. If you do decide, be quick, as winter is the only time most nurseries ship them!

though I will admit it would be intensely more satisfying to boast to people, i grew this from seed back at 2013 and look at it now.

Time: 16th August 2013 5:23pm

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About the Author Brain
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Julie says...
Reading labels in the shop, I see that most of our almonds come from California. All almonds from the US are irradiated.

I guess Oz almonds are more expensive because we don't have cheap Mexican labour. That's if you can find them!



Time: 16th August 2013 7:48pm

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About the Author Julie
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Sunshine says...
Thanks Brain, Julie!

This discussion can strach into other topics - being reasons why I am asking.
Just to give you an idea, you can do your own google if interested.
Apparently, the food that is cooked/processed/exposed to high temperature/ is not really live and therefore toxic for human body. Not to mention what animals are eating (hormones, antibiotics, gmo, and who knows what else) that is being passed to our bodies too! And milks is not food that grown ups need. End on top of it they put synthetic vitamins - naa, this is good site to research nomilk.com

If you want to ask specialist nutritionist - I realised this is hot topic where some from main education institutions wouldn't know about this at all and at the end they all just repeat what they've been said.

On the other side there are lots of Authors, even medical doctors, that know this, but they are not really advertised and those research and study hardly come close to us.

Then our bodies have the main job to detoxify these not live ingredients that we've put in them. And these are exactly toxins that cause so many illnesses in humanity.

This is amazingly thing to worry for me.

Back to almonds, yes I also noticed all these nuts are from california, USA,...good point Julie they have cheap labour. Everything local is soooo expensive. I am researching for almonds from the farm and they go so high with prices, double when I ask for raw unpasteurised. I can't even understand why - they are local - so transport is cheaper, not done pasteurisation - no additional work is done on them. Yet these are the most expensive. Not to mention that processed almonds are not tasty at all.

Good luck to all of us, but my conclusion is to grow my own is the best option. - now the first obstacle - I live in a unit in a crowded city...ha - ha !

Time: 20th August 2013 12:46pm

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Brain says...
Yes, if they are irradiated, it is as dead as it can get and it won't geminate. This is the whole point of Australian quarantine requirement ...

Everything in Aus cost more. And I can go on and on.

I'm growing mine in a pot as well, so think of it as a big bonsai! My goal is to have a nice big hobby farm so until then ... if your balcony is big and sunny enough, it is theoretically possible to grow an almond in a big tub. Though a smaller dwarf citrus is probably more suitable in a balcony environment and even then it will be a challenge to keep it healthy. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Time: 20th August 2013 3:56pm

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