You’ve probably noticed a big difference in the taste of Pistachios from one company to another and even different bags from the same company. There can be many reasons for this but the one common denominator is freshness. The fresher the Pistachio nut, the tastier it is, and we sell them to you as fresh from the orchard as possible. There is another factor involved, though, and that is harvesting.
Ready to Harvest
There is quite an art to determining when to harvest a Pistachio orchard. Harvest too soon and the nuts are somewhat undeveloped and don’t shake well off the tree. Harvest too late and you risk nuts falling off the tree by themselves (never used in the US) or insect damage due to open nuts remaining on the tree too long.
Shaking the Tree
Once harvested, the nuts must have the pulpy hull removed, be thoroughly cleaned and then dried to remove 95% of the moisture. They can then be comfortably stored in an air cooled, temperature silo for many months without losing any freshness or taste. If this process is not done within 24 to 48 hours, a purple stain begins to develop due to mold growth. While not harmful to humans, this stain leads to the red or white dye being used to mask its rather unsightly appearance.
Thanks to our modern harvesting techniques, there is very, very little incidence of staining with California Pistachios and no dye is ever used. This has lead to the term “California Blond” to describe our Pistachios on the world market, and they are the freshest, plumpest, tastiest nuts available.
A Good Crop
You can see a video of this harvesting and processing on our home page. And you can taste the results by visiting our online stand. Enjoy!
