Brazil Nuts
Nuts, Raw, Soaked & Dried, Brazil Nuts |
Nuts, Raw, Soaked & Dried, Brazil Nuts 8 oz.
Code: NUTBS - Price: $11.24 |
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Nuts, Raw, Soaked & Dried, Brazil Nuts 1#
Code: NUTB - Price: $20.93
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Brazil nuts are nutrient-dense. By this, I mean that in relation to their size, they contain a wide variety of nutrients. These nutrients include protein, fiber, selenium, magnesium, phosphorous, and thiamin. In addition, they contain niacin, vitamin E, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc and copper. Brazil nuts are also a source of arginine (an amino acid that plays a role in blood clot formation and it very good for the heart) and flavonoids (important antioxidant compounds believed to be protective against both coronary disease and cancer).
Brazil nuts are exclusively collected from natural forests. They are considered an important rainforest crop. They are among the largest and oldest trees in the Amazon, with diameters often over 17 feet and circumferences often over 56 feet! They can reach ages of 550 years old. These trees grow to 40 or 50 meters tall (approximately 150 feet). The typical nut producing begins when they are 12 years old, and occurs for about 150 years. These trees are actually tropical evergreens. They grow in the Amazon River Basin of South America {See Science, vol. 302, and p. 2112}.
The nut grows in a thick-walled pod the size of a small melon or a large grapefruit. A mature tree can produce 300 or more fruit pods a year. Brazil nut trees flower in the months just prior to the beginning of the rainy season, and then it takes 15 months for the pod to develop and mature. Consequently the pods tend to fall during January and February (during the rainy season), and are harvested by hand. Because the pods are so large and the trees so tall, these pods can be heard crashing though the canopy of the rainforest as they fall to the ground like cannon balls. The pods are collected after they fall from the trees and are chopped open to obtain the nuts. They can only be shipped during the rainy season when the water level is high enough to navigate the river system. Belem, Brazil is the center for Brazil nut exports. No wonder they are called Brazil nuts!!
Inside the pod are numerous (18-30) three-sided, shell-covered nuts. The tough-shelled triangular Brazil nut is common around the Christmas season. Some people think Brazil nuts taste a little like coconut. At least they say the meat of the nut has a similar texture.
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