QUESTIONS ON RAW SEEDS, NUTS, POTATOES

by Tom Billings

The following was posted on the old veg-raw e-mail list. It consists of answers to questions posed by a list member.

Q: How can I eat seeds and nuts raw?

A: Most (edible) raw seeds and nuts can be soaked and/or sprouted. In fact, soaking and/or sprouting usually improves the flavor and makes the seed/nut more digestible as well. Good seeds and nuts to sprout include: sesame seeds (unhulled only, white or black), sunflower seeds (hulled), almond. Of course many grains and legumes can be sprouted also. Nuts that can be soaked include pecans, walnuts, filberts, and others. Soaking of nuts removes some of the tannins present in their skins.

A few cautions: raw kidney beans reportedly contain a toxin (that is destroyed when cooked), so you don't want to eat them raw - they taste awful raw anyway. Also avoid raw/sprouted sorghum - seed coat contains potentially toxic level of cyanide. (Sorghum is a staple in Africa, where they know how to process it to make it safe for consumption.)

Q: How can I eat raw (white) potatoes?

A: Raw potatoes. Yes you can eat potatoes raw but they are not very appetizing. Some raw fooders heat potatoes at 118 degrees F, the highest temperature possible without destroying enzymes, for long periods of time. The result is a potato that is supposedly raw but tastes cooked. There are recipes for that approach in Gabriel Cousen's book, "Conscious Eating".

Some of the raw food recipe books feature recipes for raw potato salad. However I can't give you an exact reference/citation.

Q: Can I eat wheat germ raw?

A: Yes, you can eat it raw. The flavor leaves much to be desired, but perhaps you will like it. You can try using honey or other sweetener to improve the flavor.

Additional Comments: Re: raw winter squash, the hard squash. They were not mentioned in the questions but I wanted to mention something I heard from another raw fooder. He reports that you can grate them, raw, and they taste just like dairy (cow's) cheese. I haven't tried it, but you might want to experiment and see if you like it.

Webmasters Note: Re: Tahitian Melon Squash is an excellent squash to eat raw, to me it tastes sweet like cantaloupe.  Although this squash is quite rare and hard to find.  I purchased mine at a local farmers market.

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