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Pine Nuts


Barbara

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I don't have any pictures, but today I was looking for pine nuts (to make pesto) which were not from China. I went to Yes! Gourmet on Columbia Road and found a bag that was supposedly in support of American Farm Trust (this is an approximation of the real name). At $14.99 for 5.5 ounces (!), I thought they were a tad bit expensive. I was right: on the back of the bag was "Product of China." I don't even want to know what's going on here. I passed on those and went across the street to the Metro Market and bought much, much cheaper pine nuts--origin unknown. The last non-Chinese pine nuts I bought were Spanish from Whole Paycheck at $23/lb.

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I don't have any pictures, but today I was looking for pine nuts (to make pesto) which were not from China. I went to Yes! Gourmet on Columbia Road and found a bag that was supposedly in support of American Farm Trust (this is an approximation of the real name). At $14.99 for 5.5 ounces (!), I thought they were a tad bit expensive. I was right: on the back of the bag was "Product of China." I don't even want to know what's going on here. I passed on those and went across the street to the Metro Market and bought much, much cheaper pine nuts--origin unknown. The last non-Chinese pine nuts I bought were Spanish from Whole Paycheck at $23/lb.

Stop making a pesto yourself.

How long have pine nuts been this expensive?!

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How long have pine nuts been this expensive?!

American pine uts I ahve seen are $30 or $40 a pound and terrible. We ahe stopped using pine nuts after TJ's, without any warning, changed from non Chinese to Chinese and we had a customer get a bad reaction. Hazelnuts and almonds make a great pesto!

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I don't have any pictures, but today I was looking for pine nuts (to make pesto) which were not from China. I went to Yes! Gourmet on Columbia Road and found a bag that was supposedly in support of American Farm Trust (this is an approximation of the real name). At $14.99 for 5.5 ounces (!), I thought they were a tad bit expensive. I was right: on the back of the bag was "Product of China." I don't even want to know what's going on here. I passed on those and went across the street to the Metro Market and bought much, much cheaper pine nuts--origin unknown. The last non-Chinese pine nuts I bought were Spanish from Whole Paycheck at $23/lb.

Thanks Barbara and Dean - this absolutely merits its own topic (and a tweet).

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American pine uts I ahve seen are $30 or $40 a pound and terrible. We ahe stopped using pine nuts after TJ's, without any warning, changed from non Chinese to Chinese and we had a customer get a bad reaction. Hazelnuts and almonds make a great pesto!

We use pine nuts for many dishes in our house and I get some and then freeze them. So, they don't go bad and nothing is wasted. Those Spanish pine nuts at WF are quite wonderful--we just need to think of the cost as something similar to caviar. But there is no way I'm gonna pay that kind of $$$ for a Chinese product, eventhough we haven't suffered from that "metallic mouth" syndrome that seems to occur with some frequency with the Chinese product. I'm just upset that something that is supposed to support American farms has nothing to do with that.

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We use pine nuts for many dishes in our house and I get some and then freeze them. So, they don't go bad and nothing is wasted. Those Spanish pine nuts at WF are quite wonderful--we just need to think of the cost as something similar to caviar. But there is no way I'm gonna pay that kind of $$$ for a Chinese product, eventhough we haven't suffered from that "metallic mouth" syndrome that seems to occur with some frequency with the Chinese product. I'm just upset that something that is supposed to support American farms has nothing to do with that.

That does sound as if it merits a call/email first to the manufacturer, and then to the Federal Trade Commission if the manufacturer does not respond to your satisfaction. We have similar issues with dog food items --- front labels often proudly state that the company is a US company, but then there is small print on the back telling you that the chicken comes from China.

As a victim of TJ's pine nuts, I'll pay through the nose for Spanish ones next time. I don't use that many, and I do keep them in the freezer. 2 weeks of pine nut mouth was more than enough.

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On Saturday the H Mart in Merrifield was carrying pine nuts that said "Product of the USA". I can't remember the name, but I think they were $18 for 14 ounces. They were located near the registers on the right side just before you get to the produce section.

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I made caponata last weekend and needed some pine nuts. I found them for $12/lb in the refrigerated case at the Lebanese Gourmet Market in Mclean. I do not know the country of origin but they were very good. I suspect that other Middle-Eastern markets have similar quality and price

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Any updates? I am looking for the elegant, paler (creamy vs. golden), tapered nuts that Whole Foods Markets used to get from Turkey or Spain. Contrasting with the teardrop/Candy-corn shape of most pine nuts found in the U.S., the pine nut I seek resembles a slendor, well-formed kibbeh: somewhat pointy or needle-like at both ends with a modestly protuberant middle.

Virginia is too far away. DC or nearby MD.

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Any updates? I am looking for the elegant, paler (creamy vs. golden), tapered nuts that Whole Foods Markets used to get from Turkey or Spain. Contrasting with the teardrop/Candy-corn shape of most pine nuts found in the U.S., the pine nut I seek resembles a slendor, well-formed kibbeh: somewhat pointy or needle-like at both ends with a modestly protuberant middle.

Virginia is too far away. DC or nearby MD.

I found some from Turkey recently that are what you're looking for. I think I found them at a Giant in Virginia, but I don't know how widely the chain is carrying them (if that's indeed where I found them). Great Lakes International Trading Co. Mediterranean Pine Nuts.

ETA: This is the company's site.

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A few months ago while shopping for a pull-out-all-the-stops dinner I picked up a small container of pine nuts from Arrowwine.  I don't recall the origin (I know I asked), but they were $40 a pound.  And they were totally worth it.  It had been years since I'd had such intensely tasty pine nuts.  I'd rather have these a few times a year then have cheap ones all the time.

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Trader Joe's is now advertising pine nuts from Russia, which I'd never seen before.  Anyone tried them?  They're specifically saying it's pinus sibirica, which is supposed to be ok, right?  $7.99 for 8 oz.

Kudos to them for labeling the genus and species. Not to state the obvious, but this roughly translates to Siberian Penis. No! I mean, Siberian Pine, so I assume this differs from the Italian versions only at the species level.

Also, for those of you interested in taxonomy (that's the stuffing of dead auditors ... are you ready for a good rhyme?), pinus is the only genus :) in the subfamily Pinoideae. Within the pinus genus :) :), there are a myriad of species and/or sub-genii (*) - Wikipedia has a good list to begin with - certainly enough to keep the average layman busy for awhile, anyway.

(*) I just had this random urge to have sex with Barbara Eden.

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Trader Joe's is now advertising pine nuts from Russia, which I'd never seen before.  Anyone tried them?  They're specifically saying it's pinus sibirica, which is supposed to be ok, right?  $7.99 for 8 oz.

I'm not sure Russian pine nuts are completely safe from pine nut mouth.  There seems to be a problem with the region.

I finally just bought some at Costco from China.  I try a few of them before the day I plan to use more, to see if I have a reaction. Of course, if multiple batches are mixed within one bag, that doesn't do any good at all.

It's just too hard to find Spanish pine nuts and they are extremely expensive.

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I was just in the new TJ's on 14th St. this afternoon and found pine nuts from Korea. They weren't expensive, as such things go, but they also didn't look anything like those Spanish ones I got from Whole Paycheck a couple of years ago. So, I passed them up.

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Kudos to them for labeling the genus and species. Not to state the obvious, but this roughly translates to Siberian Penis. No! I mean, Siberian Pine, so I assume this differs from the Italian versions only at the species level.

Also, for those of you interested in taxonomy (that's the stuffing of dead auditors ... are you ready for a good rhyme?), pinus is the only genus :) in the subfamily Pinoideae. Within the pinus genus :) :), there are a myriad of species and/or sub-genii (*) - Wikipedia has a good list to begin with - certainly enough to keep the average layman busy for awhile, anyway.

(*) I just had this random urge to have sex with Barbara Eden.

argh!

start pedantry

Pinus sibirica is the species.

Pinus is the genus.

sibirica is the specific epithet.

Please don't say "genus and species".

end pedantry

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argh!

start pedantry

Pinus sibirica is the species.

Pinus is the genus.

sibirica is the specific epithet.

Please don't say "genus and species".

end pedantry

Who pissed in your Corn Flakes this morning?

Using this logic (and I'm not saying you're wrong), it theoretically should be required to use all qualifiers in the hierarchy (the entire taxonomic system is nothing more than a hierarchical tree structure) to identify a particular species.

"But it isn't."

"But it should be."

"But it isn't."

"There's the potential for ambiguity if you don't."

"Tell it to Carolus Linnaeus."

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Ha!  I'm in a good mood this morning!  :lol:   I did warn it was a pedantic thing...  but it's true.  The system of binomial nomenclature created by Linnaeus is thus defined.  The species name of an organism consists of its genus plus specific epithet, and is therefore always two words [or more].

Don't ask me about the differences between "clear" and "colorless", or "accuracy" and "precision".

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Trader Joe's is now advertising pine nuts from Russia, which I'd never seen before.  Anyone tried them?  They're specifically saying it's pinus sibirica, which is supposed to be ok, right?  $7.99 for 8 oz.

Ha!  I'm in a good mood this morning!  :lol:   I did warn it was a pedantic thing...  but it's true.  The system of binomial nomenclature created by Linnaeus is thus defined.  The species name of an organism consists of its genus plus specific epithet, and is therefore always two words.

Don't ask me about the differences between "clear" and "colorless", or "accuracy" and "precision".

While you're at it, why don't you jump up Rhone1998's ass for not capitalizing the genus Pinus, Your Royal Heinous?

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I'm not sure Russian pine nuts are completely safe from pine nut mouth.  There seems to be a problem with the region.

I finally just bought some at Costco from China.  I try a few of them before the day I plan to use more, to see if I have a reaction. Of course, if multiple batches are mixed within one bag, that doesn't do any good at all.

It's just too hard to find Spanish pine nuts and they are extremely expensive.

Please report back if they are any good.  I have been thinking about them for some time, but was afraid to risk it for such a large bag.

Ha!  I'm in a good mood this morning!  :lol:   I did warn it was a pedantic thing...  but it's true.  The system of binomial nomenclature created by Linnaeus is thus defined.  The species name of an organism consists of its genus plus specific epithet, and is therefore always two words.

Don't ask me about the differences between "clear" and "colorless", or "accuracy" and "precision". 

I have a great learning tool for the latter if you really want to know... ;)

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Picture an archer at target practice.  The archer is going for both precision and accuracy.  She shoots five arrows, and all of them hit within a five-inch circle, but on a nearby tree instead of in the target.  This is precision.  She shoots another five arrows, and all of them hit the very large target, but they are scattered about on it.  This is accuracy.  She shoots the final five arrows, and each of them hits within the tiny circle in the middle of the target.  This is precision and accuracy.

Precision is the ability to hit the same target multiple times.  Accuracy is the ability to hit the correct target multiple times.

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Picture an archer at target practice.  The archer is going for both precision and accuracy.  She shoots five arrows, and all of them hit within a five-inch circle, but on a nearby tree instead of in the target.  This is precision.  She shoots another five arrows, and all of them hit the very large target, but they are scattered about on it.  This is accuracy.  She shoots the final five arrows, and each of them hits within the tiny circle in the middle of the target.  This is precision and accuracy.

Precision is the ability to hit the same target multiple times.  Accuracy is the ability to hit the correct target multiple times.

And if the archer has neither, you basically get the hell out of the way?

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Before someone pulls this topic to the side of the road and makes us all walk home:

As a prior victim of pine-nut mouth syndrome who now makes pesto with macadamias, I recently discovered this 2011 blog describing someone's thesis project which targets one particular species as the culprit.   http://pinenutsyndrome.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/pine-nut-syndrome-thesis-completed-overview/  A handy visual guide to the various species is included at http://pinenutsyndrome.wordpress.com/pine-nut-species/ .  As with all such links, just because you read something on the internet does not make it true, but it does appear to have been well thought-out research.

If this is correct, your Pinus sibirica sample should be safe.

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Before someone pulls this topic to the side of the road and makes us all walk home:

As a prior victim of pine-nut mouth syndrome who now makes pesto with macadamias, I recently discovered this 2011 blog describing someone's thesis project which targets one particular species as the culprit.   http://pinenutsyndrome.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/pine-nut-syndrome-thesis-completed-overview/  A handy visual guide to the various species is included at http://pinenutsyndrome.wordpress.com/pine-nut-species/ .  As with all such links, just because you read something on the internet does not make it true, but it does appear to have been well thought-out research.

If this is correct, your Pinus sibirica sample should be safe.

Thanks so much for providing this, PollyG. I have compared my Trader Joe's pine nuts, purchased some time ago and held in my freezer, with the illustrated varieties, and I am reasonably certain that they are Pinus sibirica. I have been eating them with no problem, but have been very wary of buying more, because of the risk. Now that I know what to look for, I'll feel much more confident about making future purchases.

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