The real pistachio
If you’re a fan of the humble pistachio, you’re going to love the Oro Farm Pistachios from our very own South West region.
The majority of pistachios that we have on the market are salted, roasted and imported directly from the US of A, according to Lyn from Oro Farm.
These pistachios are a great snack and most people in Australia love those salty flavours.
The Oro Farm is located in Dwellingup, so these pistachios are grown locally and then sold directly to WA retailers.
Unlike their salty cousin, the Oro Farm pistachios are creamy, soft and totally nutritious.
They are perfect for a snack, but are also amazing as a garnish or used in both sweet and savoury dishes.
“Pistachios are versatile; they can be enjoyed differently visually, texturally and flavor-wise depending on how you use them,” Lyn said.
According to Lyn, you can make a delicious pesto, to be tossed through pasta (Sicilian style), you can add them to salads with fresh dates and goat’s cheese, use them to stuff calamari, or add them to your ice-cream.
“For me, no way is better rather every way is delicious,” she said.
Because of the amazing texture and flavour, they are the perfect addition to any meal!
Healthy benefits abound
Like many other nut varieties, these pistachios help lower cholesterol levels and work to reduce the likelihood of heart disease.
They are a great source of protein, dietary fibre, potassium, calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin A and selenium.
Adding some of these pistachios in your diet as a healthy alternative snack to chips or chocolate will help you keep your weight in check.
How are they harvested?
Pistachios themselves are very seasonal; they begin to develop a beautiful, deep, pinkish red hull, which will begin to split.
This indicates that the nuts are mature and are ready to be harvested.
Then, at first light, the harvest begins.
A net in the form of a very large upturned umbrella is placed around the tree trunk.
The trunk is then shaken manually, the mature nuts falling onto the net then guided through a central hole into a tub below. The umbrella is then closed and moved to the next tree.
Once harvested, pistachios can deteriorate quickly, so the quantity harvested each morning is determined by the number of nuts that can be processed the same day.
The day’s harvest is then taken into the processing shed where the nuts are de-hulled in a purpose built machine following which they are sorted by hand to remove any nuts that have not been de-hulled properly, any empty nutshells, cracked nuts, pieces of shell or nut, immature nuts or very marked shells. This is the most laborious phase of processing.
The selected nuts are then placed on drying racks in the sun and depending on the weather, take about two days to dry naturally. During this phase we keep a watchful eye on them, repeat testing them in order to halt the drying process as soon as they have reached the optimum level of moisture retention, the point at which they are at their creamiest and rid of excess moisture.
Once that level is reached, the nuts are gathered and packed into bags for sale. In order to create a stable and insect free environment, oxygen is withdrawn from the bag and is replaced by carbon dioxide.
Do they keep well?
The great thing about pistachios is that they can be kept in their shell!
If these pistachios are stored airtight, un-shelled and out of direct sunlight, they will keep well for at least a year!
For more information, or to try this delicious product, head down to Peaches Fresh Food today!
