Pine nuts are known for a number of beneficial properties, thanks to which they are actively used by doctors, cosmetologists and chefs. They have a unique composition: they contain up to 10 times more protein than chicken fillet, and unsaturated fatty acids make it possible to eat this product even by people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
The vitamin-rich gifts of Siberia will be useful for both growing children’s bodies and adults. They strengthen the immune system, give vigor, and have a general healing effect.
Features of cleaning pine nuts
Before use, remove the hard shell. This process is long and labor-intensive, so it is difficult to quickly clean large quantities.
Sometimes they are sold in buds. To release the seeds, thick household gloves are used to avoid staining the skin - it will be difficult to wash your hands of the dark sticky coating. Ripe seeds simply fall out with a little force: the cone needs to be twisted with your hands or beaten on a hard surface.
Boiling water will help dissolve the resin. The high temperature will melt the viscous liquid and soften the shells, which will greatly facilitate the peeling process in the future. Resin that gets on the skin is removed using sunflower oil or fatty cream.
Ready-to-eat cedar kernels are sold in stores or markets. They are purified using an industrial method using a special crusher.
The main disadvantage of such a purchase is the inability to check the true expiration date of such a product, especially if purchased in bulk. The chance of running into products that do not meet the quality certificate (which may be absent) increases significantly.
It is allowed to store pine nuts after cleaning, even if the rules are followed, for 30 days; Unpeeled – up to 6 months.
When purchasing gifts of cedar, pay attention to the sweetish aroma and shell: it should be clean, smooth, without resinous residues. The presence of dark spots and an unpleasant odor indicates a low-quality or damaged product.
How to check the expiration date: shake the fruit: a rattling sound indicates that the product is old.
It is not recommended to peel nuts for future use; remove the shell only enough for one-time use.
Leftover shells can be used to make a relaxing bath product. The decoction is prepared in a one to one ratio. A glass of infusion added to the bath will relieve nervous tension and have a relaxing effect on the body. The tincture will be useful for osteochondrosis.
There are several ways to peel pine nuts at home: lovers of this delicacy recommend using a shelling machine or improvised means.
Without preliminary preparation, you will not be able to crack the nuts with your fingers. The mechanical impact must also be with a certain force: by pressing too hard, you risk getting an inedible mess instead of the desired delicacy. The shell should crack, not break into small pieces.
Practical tips and advice
You can process pine nuts in different ways, the main thing is that they are convenient
It is important to remember that peeled kernels deteriorate very quickly, so they must be removed immediately before consumption.
Helpful Tips:
- Due to the high content of fatty substances in pine nuts, long-term storage of peeled kernels is impractical. Since over time they acquire a bitter taste and lose their beneficial properties.
- When purchasing pine nuts, you need to make sure that their expiration date has not expired.
- After processing or purchasing in a store, they must be washed with warm water and then dried a little. This is done in order to remove fine dust from them. And also for cleanliness and safety before consumption.
- After processing with water, the nuts must be thoroughly dried. It is advisable to do this in the fresh air or in a warm and well-ventilated area. To dry evenly, they need to be turned over periodically.
- Do not store wet nuts as they may become moldy.
- Not only in the kernels, but also in the shell and even the scales of the cones are useful substances, vitamins and microelements. The waste raw materials can be dried and subsequently used for medicinal tinctures, lotions and inhalations. Such drinks have a pleasant taste and contain vitamins B and E, as well as fatty acids and resins. They are used to treat colds, rheumatism and other joint diseases.
- To prevent the nuts from rolling around on the table during processing, they need to be placed in the hole of a wrench with a suitable diameter. Then, using a hammer or rolling pin, carefully crack the shell and clean off any remaining residue with your hands.
- If you are going to remove kernels from cones in large volumes, it is recommended to do this with gloves to avoid resin sticking to your hands.
- Processing waste, gutted cones and scales can be used as fertilizer for house plants and in garden beds. They are also used in cosmetology for baths and hair rinses.
Cedar kernels are used as food raw grains and fried. They are also widely used in cooking for preparing various dishes. In folk medicine, they are used to prepare a honey-nut mixture, which is taken in the morning on an empty stomach to replenish the body with energy reserves, nutrients and vitamins.
Method 1 with teeth
You can peel pine nuts from their shells at home with your teeth if you need a single quantity of the product. A strong shell can damage tooth enamel or injure the mucous membrane. When chewing the shell, there is a risk of breaking a tooth, especially if it has been filled, so it is recommended to use more civilized methods.
When there are no other options, you need to crack the nuts correctly: bite through the shell, holding the seed with your teeth and holding the sharp edge with your fingers, and then gently press - sudden movements injure the oral cavity. The process is similar to cracking sunflower seeds.
How to peel nuts using special tools
In areas where there are many cedar trees, it is often necessary to clean the closed cones. To do this, use devices that facilitate the extraction of nuclei.
You can easily peel nuts if you use the following products:
- “rubel” - has an unusual shape, reminiscent of an old washboard (with a ribbed surface), the kernels are extracted by pressing the cones with a lid;
- mills with ribbed forks: the principle of extracting seeds is the same as in the previous case; under pressure, cedar seeds easily come out of the cone if everything is done correctly;
- “Kedrovka” is a special machine, used to extract cedar seeds from the shell, it looks like a meat grinder, this device has a drawback - low cleaning quality, you need to peel pine nuts again.
This video shows one of the cleaning methods:
Method 2 soaking in cold water
Softened shells are easier to remove. If time allows, soak the seeds in water at room temperature for at least 10-12 hours, maximum for a day.
Plain tap water will do, since the shell reliably protects the kernels from the penetration of impurities. Next, you need to dry it on a cotton towel for about 20-30 minutes, after which you begin to remove the grains.
They are scattered in a thin layer on a flat surface, covered with a towel and gently rolled with a rolling pin until they crunch slightly. After soaking, the hardness of the nut shell becomes similar to ordinary seeds.
Adding salt to water helps soften it.
At the stake
This treatment is very convenient if people are somewhere in nature. To do this, you need to throw cones into a dying fire, when only coals remain, and then bake them like simple potatoes. This should take no more than 10 minutes. The resin should burn and the cone should become softer, after which the nuts can be easily pulled out.
Now let’s look at how you can peel pine nuts from their shells.
Method 4 roasting method
This is the simplest solution to the problem.
You can fry cedar fruits in a non-stick frying pan without adding vegetable oil for 15-25 minutes. depending on quantity. The contents of the pan must be constantly stirred to ensure even heating. Watch the degree of roasting - overheating will spoil the grains, giving them a burnt taste and smell. Test the product periodically to avoid burning.
An oven is also suitable for roasting. Spread the kernels evenly in a thin layer on a dry or parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 120-130 degrees, then place a baking sheet there for 10 minutes. Regardless of the chosen frying method, the product must be allowed to cool. Thermal exposure dries out the shells and they crack easily. The main advantage is that the nucleoli remain intact during purification.
In addition to exposure to heat, freezing will help clean cedar kernels. Try placing the grains in the freezer for several hours - the shell will lose strength and crack easily. It is important to start cleaning on time - immediately after removing from the freezer, before the nuts are warm.
Medicinal properties
No wonder cedar is known as the king of Siberian forests. It gives people not only healthy nuts and wood for construction. People use all parts of the plant to maintain health - nut shells, cones, pine needles. The prepared remedies help cope with many diseases.
Digestive system
Walnut shells have a complex healing effect on the digestive organs:
- astringent;
- pain reliever;
- anti-inflammatory.
Decoctions are useful to drink for stomach ulcers, colitis, enteritis, and dysbacteriosis. Medicine from the shell is used for diarrhea of various origins. Due to its choleretic effect, it is used to treat the liver and gall bladder.
Respiratory system
Medicinal forms of cedar shells exhibit healing properties for coughs and colds. Essential oils relieve inflammation of the respiratory tract during bronchitis, pharyngitis, and acute respiratory infections. Vitamin C speeds up recovery by stimulating the immune system. Alcohol tincture is used after consulting a doctor.
It is useful to rinse the mouth with a decoction of the shells for inflammation of the mucous membranes - stomatitis, gingivitis, bleeding gums.
Diseases of the spine and joints
To treat rheumatism and radiculitis, compresses or rubbing with vodka-based tincture of shells are used. For sore joints, it is also recommended to drink decoctions and infusions. After internal use, they normalize the water-salt balance in cases of gout and arthrosis. They saturate the bones with calcium, relieve inflammation, and reduce pain.
Women's diseases
Medicine knows that nut shells have anti-cancer properties. Infusions are used to treat cancer. Helps cope with adnexitis and endometriosis. Used in gynecology for benign neoplasms and cysts. Helps normalize the menstrual cycle.
Skin problems
A decoction of the shell is used to wash and wipe skin rashes - eczema, lichen, acne. They make lotions for furunculosis, herpes, burns, and allergic rashes. Children can have baths for diaper rash and diathesis.
Method 10 machine for peeling pine nuts
The reluctance or inability to build millstones yourself can be compensated by purchasing a nutcracker - a unique device that, in appearance and in its operating principle, resembles a familiar manual meat grinder. Nutwood is sold at crafts fairs or on specialized websites.
This method is inconvenient because you will have to pass the seeds through the nutcracker tree repeatedly. After spinning the first batch, you need to use a sieve to separate the finished product from the unpeeled kernels. The latter are again scrolled and sifted. The process is repeated until clean nuts are obtained.
How to remove debris and husks from shelled nuts
During the cleaning process, debris and scales are mixed with the nuts, which requires additional cleaning. The procedure can be carried out in several ways.
- Sieve or round sieve. Two screening elements with cell diameters of 7 mm and 3 mm are used. The first time sifting is done using a coarse sieve, and then a fine sieve.
- No special tools. A tarpaulin is laid out in the yard and nuts are thrown onto it from a distance of 5 meters with an ordinary shovel. Light debris will not be able to reach its destination, so only clean product will remain on the tarp.
- Water. Pour nuts into a bowl of water. The garbage will not sink and will remain on the surface. It is collected, but the nuts will require additional drying.
Method 12 industrial cleaning
On an industrial scale, there are five methods for extracting cedar seeds, which are used by residents of the northern regions, i.e. in the homeland of Siberian pines.
- Vacuum
Under the influence of a sharp pressure drop, pumped by a special vacuum crusher, the shell is destroyed and separated.
- Mechanical
Special machines crack the shells, after which the kernels are poured into tanks for further sorting.
- Crushing and calibrating
A mechanical device crushes and sorts the nuts.
- Soaking and frying
In huge containers, the grains are first soaked, after which they immediately go into special ovens for heat treatment. A sharp temperature change makes the nut shell fragile.
- A liquid nitrogen
The fastest, but most expensive and therefore rarely used method. The fruits are treated with liquid nitrogen, after which they are thoroughly washed, dried, cleaned and sorted. Such processing affects the cost of the finished product.
The final stage is hermetically sealed packaging, which increases the shelf life, making it possible to transport the products even to settlements remote from the manufacturing plant.
As practice shows, it is effective to combine heat treatment with mechanical cleaning.
It is advisable to buy ready-to-eat Siberian delicacies in sealed original packaging - this will reduce the risk of running into a spoiled product.
