Avoid like the plague, until the next food scare hits. ©iStockphoto.com/MorePixels Another food scare? Nuts! This time, pistachios. From Reuters: A California pistachio processor issued a nationwide recall of pistachios due to possible salmonella contamination, and U.S. health regulators said consumers should avoid all pistachio products until more information is available. The affected nuts were shipped on or after September 1, 2008, by Setton Pistachio. The recall could affect more than just whole pistachios as they were used as ingredients in a range of food products. I almost grabbed a bag of pistachios as a snack last night. I'm glad I went with peanuts instead. Nobody ever got sick from peanuts. Related: What Nut Is Next? [Talk]... More

If you're like most people, you'll likely be eating nuts of some sort as part of holiday nut sampler, but do you know how they’re harvested? After the jump, a clip from Our Daily Bread, a documentary by Nikolaus Geyrhalter. Basically, a tractor with a giant arm shakes the crap out of the tree in question, after which a sort of industrial vacuum cleaner–shovel scoops them up and dumps them on a tarp.... More

"Take a hint from squirrels; eat nuts daily"... More

The voice over actor in this ad for True North nuts must have gone through a number of takes before saying the last line without laughing. "An extraordinary nut snack." Thinking of clean, innuendo-less slogans for nuts is a toughie, but this one didn't seem to try very hard. The newest version of the ad removed the "nut" part. After the jump, listen closely in the now retired commercial. [via Gawker]... More

I know what you’re thinking. “Acorns? Why on earth is she talking about acorns? The weather’s just getting nice and balmy, and she’s featuring autumnal nuts? Bah humbug… it’s spring!” And so it is. But I promise you, this is a very springy kind of dish. It’s refreshing on a warm, sunny day, light on the palate, easy on the eye (and wallet), and will leave you feeling decidedly sprightly. More