Processing cashews

[GwenninPR]

So I am trying my hand at doing something with the cashews I am growing.

I juiced the fresh fruit.   It makes a nice tasting juice- better than biting into the fruit! Added a little water and a pinch of sugar and it is good.

After a little research, I decided that roasting the nut is too risky for inside and I don't have a firepit.  (Maybe doing it on a gas grill might work next time?)  I decided to boil the oil out of them.  That is where I am now.  I am giving them 30 mins of boil.  Then I will let them dry in the sun for a few days and try to crack them with a hammer.

Any other suggestions for this time or next time?

[Tropicaliste]

Gwen, that's an interesting idea to boil them.  I've never heard of that.  A word of caution though if you go and buy or build a pit, tell your neighbors, because the caustic smoke vapor can carry easily to whoevers near and cause some serious breathing problems, which may lead to legal problems depending on your neighbors.  Would you mind photographing your progress and sharing?

[GwenninPR]

I got the boiling idea from KarenREI on this old post: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=6828.msg89119#msg89119

I am hoping it works.  I boiled them for about 1 hr.  The water in the pot was brownish when done, but I did not see any oil floating on top, so I don't know if it worked.
I will let them sun dry for a few days.

I will wear gloves for cracking them....how will I know if it worked or not?  Sorry- I am not going to try touching the shells for the sake of science!


 

[mangaba]

Gwen
          Gwen be carefull when you try to crack raw cashew nuts.  The outer cover of the nut has a caustic oil which irritates the skin. In industrial cashew nut processing units this oil is used in big transformers . I have cashew trees in my garden and when I have a bucket full  of nuts, I roast them in a similar way as described by Berto. It is a messy and troublesome process but if you want details send me a PM. I would like to emphasize that the taste of a cashew nut roasted this way is far more tasty than the industrially marketed ones .
                                                                               mangaba

[vipinrl]

This is the easiest way to shell Cashew nuts:
Take a large enough pot (preferably an earthenware).
Fill half of the pot with clean sand.
Put the nuts in the pot and fire at the bottom; stir occasionally with a stick.
When it begins to smoke, increase the frequency of stir.
Soon, both the sand and the nuts become brownish (you can hear some fireworks inside).
Take a sampling out of the pot and try to crack the shell with a wooden hammer (don't forget to wear gloves).
Continue firing, stir till the nuts are roasted properly.

[bsbullie]

Very important,  when grilling or roasting them, since you dont have a commercial plant, you will need to do this outdoors and do not stand down wind from the smoke/fumes put off from the nuts.  It is also harmful if breathed in.

[jcaldeira]

http://youtu.be/Ky8omUFpxVI

Processing starts near 3 minutes into the video below:
http://youtu.be/du1MN-LoQ-k

[GwenninPR]

Holy Crap- that is a lot of work!
Thanks everyone for the info. I am not sure it is worth it for the few nuts I get right now. Maybe as the tree gets bigger.

So I see a few mistakes I have made already- mine were freshly fallen from tree.  They need to dry first.
And then it really seems like much higher temps might be needed, and maybe steaming instead of boiling to release the oils.

Always learning!

[fruitlovers]

I think the commercial boiling process done is boiling in oil, not water.
You can rid the nuts of toxin easily be roasting them over open fire in a pan or open wire cage. Shake them well while on fire. When nuts pop and emit puff of blue light that means the toxin inside is inert. If you do it at dusk you can see exploding blue light.