Now that lots of people are looking for alternatives to cow's milk for various reasons almond milk has become a very popular substitute. Store bought almond milk isn't exactly cheap, nor does it taste like much. Making your own is simple and - oh, the taste difference. You will find a lot of information on the web on whether making your own is cheaper. But that's really only half the story. It's not necessarily cheaper, but what if for the same price you got a vastly superior and more nutritious nut milk? Or for the same price as regular nut milk you got homemade organic nut milk? In addition, you can play with a variety of nuts to make hazelnut milk (delicious), cashew milk, brazil nut milk, or walnut milk, none of which are available at the store. Moreover, you may have read that store bought almond milk is made with only a few piddly nuts for a half gallon of nut milk. Lastly, many nut milks are sweetened, and they contain thickeners, additives and chemicals - not so great.

To make nut milk simply soak a generous handful of nuts overnight (see previous post on soaking nuts, grains and seeds), rinse in the morning, blend with 4 cups/half gallon water, then strain. You can sweeten if you must (try liquid stevia instead of sugar), add vanilla or cinnamon, but it's good as is. What to do with the leftover bonus nut pulp? Mix into veggie burgers, meat loaf, cookies, pie crusts, bean loaf - your imagination is the limit, but don't waste it (you can freeze it in baggies for later use). Play with different nuts, play with the nut/water ratio, see what you like. Oh, and you can make coconut milk by soaking shredded coconut in water, blending and straining.