Ben's Unintelligible Mumblings

Our Travels Start Now

The usual madness for us when driving around Belize City. Here we are at Princess Casino ready for a meal.

Cashew Processing 103: Roasting

Today I learned that I suck at roasting cashews. This is what happens when you roast cashews the wrong way.

Cashew Processing 102: Drying the Seeds

Right now I'm drying them. All the papers I've read show that sun drying the seeds is a good idea and ten days is a good round number to follow. You're trying to get down to a 9-10% moisture content. The seed should rattle in the shell when properly dried. I've been taking my first batch out on the beach each day for six days now. I can hear the seeds starting to rattle in the shell. One paper I read stated that an experienced cashew farmer can tell the proper moisture content by the sound of the rattling.

Another reason for good drying is storage. You'll need to watch for fungus and rot that can affect the cashew seed during long term storage as well. Disease can affect cashew and it enters from the stem side of the shell. So beware. I plan on hand roasting small batches and keeping most in the shell for storage until needed. You can keep the cashews in the shell for up to a year if properly dried. Cashews year round. Yes!

UPDATE:  The combined dried cashews now weigh in at 67.5 pounds. It this point they have been partially dried. The second batch needs another 5-7 days under full sun which so far I have been blowing off.

Cashew Processing 101: Harvesting the Seeds

So begins my chronical of cashew roasting. I've decided to make my own cashews from start to finish.