Almond Milk

 Almonds can be expensive in the shops so it is worth considering whether it is economical to make your own almond milk.   Regardless of cost, some people may prefer to make their own rather than purchase it in the shops because they then know exactly what goes into the product and it eliminates the need for packaging. We are lucky to have a good supply of almonds from trees on the land and I would rather make the almonds into dishes than sell the unshelled nuts as the money these fetch does not repay the hours we spent producing them. It gives us a great deal of pleasure to have almond trees and they are one of the first things we see when we step outside in the morning.

Almond blossom brightens up a winter's day

We find that almond milk goes well on muesli and brings out the flavour of the grains, fruits and nuts within the mixture. It is really easy to make. You need a food liquidiser, sieve and straining cloth.

Ingredients - makes about 800 mls

200 g shelled almonds - no need to blanche
800 mls water
2 teaspoons delicately-flavoured honey

• Soak the almonds overnight in water. Wash thoroughly in clean water and leave to drain.

• The next step is to liquidise the almonds together with the 800mls water. However, if you add all the water to the liquidiser jug, the water level may rise above maximum, and then it will end up spilling out as it whizzes. Therefore, put all the almonds in the jug and as much water as will comfortably fit. Whizz for about 2 minutes until the nuts have been reduced to fine particles.

• Place a sieve over a bowl and put a straining cloth (e.g. a piece of muslin) into the bottom of the sieve. The cloth must be larger than the sieve and cover the whole of the mesh. Pour the thin puree of almonds and water through the muslin. A white liquid will drain through the sieve mesh into the bowl. Tip any remaining water that would not fit into the liquidiser over the residue in the muslin so that it washes through a bit more of the white liquid 'milk'. Once most of the fluid has drained through the cloth, carefully gather up the cloth, being careful not to drop the particles of almonds left behind into the 'milk'. Once the cloth is gathered up, gently wring it in your hands and squeeze any remaining mixture over the sieve so it can drain into the bowl.

• Now you need to sweeten the almond milk a little. Clean the liquidiser jug and pour the filtered milk into the jug together with the honey. Whizz for 15 seconds and there you have it!! 

The almond milk will keep in the fridge for at least 4 - 5 days. It does tend to separate a bit, so stir thoroughly before serving.

September harvest