The How to of Soaking Nuts and Seeds (aka - How to Make Crispy Nuts)

Whole New Mom - https://wholenewmom.com

Servings:

Calories: 214kcal

1. Measure 4-cup amounts of whatever nuts or seeds that you want to soak, depending upon how much dehydrating space you have. With the 9-tray dehydrator, I can dry about 25 cups of nuts/seeds at a time.
Completely cover the nuts/seeds with purified water. Here is my post on Why You Need to Purify Your Water.
Add 2 teaspoon quality salt for each 4 cups of nuts/seeds. I recommended Real Salt. In Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon has different recommended amounts for each nut/seed. For simplicity's sake, I use the same amount of salt for each seed/ nut, and this has worked well. The salt enhances the soaking procedure and gives your nuts great flavor.
Soak for 7-12 hours. Soaking nuts and seeds overnight is perfect and that's what we do.
Spread out in a single layer on dehydrator trays or cookie sheets (for oven drying). You can actually pile up sunflower, pumpkin, or sesame seeds somewhat since they dry much faster than nuts.
Dry at a low temperature. Use the lowest temperature of your oven. In a dehydrator I opt for about 125 degrees.
Dry until the nuts/seeds are crispy.
Enjoy!
Store remaining nuts or seeds for future use. Read here about How to Store Nuts and Seeds.

Cashews have a somewhat toxic coating on them between the nut and the shell. According to most resources that I researched, this coating is removed in processing. (I did find one source saying nothing about it all being removed). Additionally, they are prone to mold and so are not the greatest choice for those sensitive to mold.So I recommend only eating them in moderation or not at all. They also get slimy when soaked longer than 6 hours so if you choose to soak to improve their digestibility, keep an eye on the clock :-).

Temperature control is one way in which the dehydrator is a much better option than the oven. Typically the lowest temperature for an oven is high enough to destroy the enzymes in the nuts/seeds, therefore diminishing their healthful qualities. However, I still think the oven is the best place for someone new to soaking and drying to start.

Dehydrator Temperature. There is debate about what temperature to dehydrate at in order to preserve the enzymes in your food. For now I am comfortable with 125. I am not an ardent raw foodist, and after researching this I found that the temperature of the food in most dehydrators is significantly below the temperature of the air around it. Thus, if the setting of the dehydrator is 125, your food temperature is almost certainly in the raw food range--115 or below. Note that this is not the case with the Excalibur Dehydrators which you should set at 115 as their thermostats are set to gauge food temperature and not air temperature.