Several have asked me recently where I would recommend buying organic nuts in bulk. I’ve been excited to answer that question as earlier in the year while our family was in California, we made a special trip to visit Braga Organic Farms, one of California’s few organic nut growers. Our family has done business with Braga Organic Farms in the past and Heavenly Homemakers is an affiliate of theirs. We LOVE their organic nuts!! It was so exciting to tour their farm and learn how their operation works and to actually see the pistachio trees and organic practices!

Braga Organic Farms has been organic for over 11 years. Every question we asked, they knew the answer (and we asked a LOT of questions). These folks know their organic farming and care a lot about their work! Did I mention that theirs is a family run business? We love that part too!

One of the biggest questions we had, and the subject we covered most while we were there was:  Why Organic?  Is it important to buy organic nuts instead of conventionally grown nuts? What’s the difference?

Instead of answering with words only, Mr. Braga took us outside to show us his fields compared to a neighboring farmer who does not grow nuts organically. Here is a lovely picture of the nut tree rows at Braga Organic Farms:

And another:

What’s impressive about the above pictures is that California had been experiencing an unusually large amount of rain during that time. The soil is so healthy, you can’t even tell that rainfall was far above average.

We then turned around and walked just a few feet to take a picture of the non-organic neighboring farm’s nut tree rows:

It was AMAZING to see such a difference in the soil quality at the different farms. As Mr. Braga put it, “Other farmers use pesticides and herbicides to help take care of their trees.  We work hard to care for our soil…then the SOIL takes care of our trees.”

Yep, healthy soil makes for healthy trees which makes for healthy nuts. In fact, Mr. Braga told us that because their organic nuts are not typically as large as “regular nuts”, they are more nutrient rich because the nutrients are more consensed. Pound for pound, organic nuts are more nutritious.

So, we asked, why do organic nuts cost more than conventionally grown nuts?

The answers make sense:

1. Braga Organic Farms uses a high quality compost instead of cheap fertilizers to enrich their soil. The high quality compost costs a significant amount more than cheap fertilizers.
2. There is more labor involved in their weed control. They mechanically remove weeds instead of using herbicides.

Our family will be ordering our nuts in bulk from Braga Organic Farms from now on. You can buy a smaller quantity if you don’t want a great big box of nuts, but if you have freezer space, bulk is a great way to go to save money, since shipping costs are the same no matter how much you buy. (You can read my thoughts about paying shipping costs here.)

Nuts stay fresh and keep from going rancid in the freezer for up to three years!  I recommend buying in bulk if possible because while the up-front cost may seem like a lot…when you break down the cost, you’ll find a price comparable to regular ol’ nuts at the store…only these are organic and super high quality!

Have you found a great source for organic nuts? Do you buy in bulk? Don’t you just love snacking on nuts? (Unless of course, you are allergic to nuts, in which case you had a hard time reading this post in the first place.)  :)

Braga Organic Farms has agreed to give all of us a 10% discount on any purchase now through April 7!! Be sure to take advantage of these great savings! Use the code home to receive the discount.