Seeds

The more I learn, the more the same word comes up: Why? Why would anyone try to make money doing this? They grow on trees and they are a seed. What many people don’t know, or at least what I didn’t know, is that the tree not only produces the seed, but also produces apples.

The apples are quite sweet and very juicy, but it is difficult to transport them because the skin is fragile. I’m sure the reason I’d never eaten this difficult to ship and tasty fruit in Los Angeles is because the Cashew Tree grows in tropical climates.

The Cashew Tree begins flowering and the first beginnings of the seed pod become visible. As the flower dissipates and the seed matures an apple begins to grow.


The seed pod is a dark kidney shaped hideous looking thing; I’m reminded of some yucky worm like creature. But, aside from John, everyone I know loves cashew nuts and, therefore, my unscientific conclusion is this: it’s not relevant what they look like in their natural state, largely because no one knows and wouldn't care anyway.

Each apple has one seed. Why on earth did anyone think it would be a good idea to mass produce and sell cashew nuts! I mean cashew 'seeds'. One seed pod per fruit. How can anyone make money from this massive effort? One tree can produce a lot of fruit, but think of the hours of work each tree represents!

One must remove them from the tree, detach them from the apple, dry them, roast them, separate them from the hard leathery pod, pack them and ship them. And, the juice of the apple stains clothes, so there is an added step if you are not careful: shopping for new clothes.

My friends in the village wanted to ensure I understood the whole process. Recently, during the after school program, they brought cashew pods to roast so I could witness it first-hand. A hot fire is built and the seeds are put onto a roasting pan. They are stirred and mixed. Then the pan is removed and the cashew seeds are carefully removed. It's a messy process, fun to watch and even better to eat the seeds fresh and hot from the fire. What a treat.

I needed to know more about this fruit phenomenon.

Nigeria, Tanzania, India and Brazil account for the largest producers of Cashews. Vietnam and Indonesia recently entered this market. We love our cashew seeds. The United States imports 50% of the global market of cashew seeds! Last year, India exported 108,131 tons of cashews! Are you kidding me? One seed per fruit and India single-handedly exported how many tons? Now that is dedication.

Now I need to know how this is possible.
Here’s a video on YouTube showing people removing the cashew seed from the pod. Imagine.



And, here is more detail; a factory in Benin.


Nuts and seeds are a daily part of my diet. When I need a snack many times I will go into a convenience store and pick up a small bag of cashews. When I return home in just a short couple of months, I will be better prepared to appreciate three ounces of cashew nuts at less than $2 per bag.

But, I’m still curious. What else do we get from this tree? Well, it turns out the answer is “Quite a bit!”

Tribes in Surinam use the seed oil as an external worm medicine to kill botfly larvae, wine is made to cure dysentary in the Amazon, shampoos, lotions, scalp creams are made from parts tree bark, oils and leaves; We get salted nuts, plain nuts, dry roasted nuts, oil roasted, jumbo whole nuts, mixed pieces, honey roasted nuts, Trader Joes Lime and Chili and Sesame Honey Cashews, cashew juice, apples,cashew butter, cashew oil, cashew art (compliments of eBay-hey it's not my art! I'm just the reporter), cashew brittle, cashew granola. I need to take a breath and stop here, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m related to Forest Gump.
Oh, and one more thing. The cashew apple provides me with a perfectly amazing cashew smoothie. Cheers!