Going Nuts for Fat Uncle Farms

Mar Vistans are scooping up hand-crafted almonds and nut butters every Sunday as an alternative to plain old peanuts. Customers line up for a wide assortment of blistered almonds, marzipan almonds, almond butter and much more.

I stopped at the Fat Uncle Farms’ booth to chat with Nate, the vendor, and found out more about this intriguing family farm. Nate’s grandfather has farmed almonds since 1963, while his wife’s family began growing almonds in 1981. They currently farm on Nate’s father-in-law’s property in Kern County -- 18 acres in the Southern San Joaquin valley. Nate told me that the family farm has ranged between 10 and 2000 acres over the years.

Fat Uncle Farms has been at the for about a year, and has a loyal following of almond lovers. While I interviewed Nate, at least 10 people came up to sample and purchase their favorite varieties. It was clear that Fat Uncle almonds are something special. 

Blistered almonds are the farm's most popular variety at the market.  The almonds are blanched, soaked and then roasted to create an irresistible taste. Add to that the many flavors available and you have a winning combination that keeps customers coming back for more. 

Try the rosemary or garlic & herb roasted almonds for a savory snack. The Chinese blistered almonds are tasty too, with ingredients like fennel, cumin, black pepper, onions and sea salt. Fat Uncle’s Cajun blistered almonds are made with chili, Cajun spices, paprika, onions and salt. If you prefer plain and simple, try the Naked almonds, or the Sprouted almonds, which have been soaked and then dehydrated.  Nate says these are perfect for raw food lovers.

“They have all the flavor and nutrition of raw almonds but have the texture of roasted almonds.”

In addition to the dazzling assortment of almonds to try each week, Fat Uncle Farms has almond paste and almond flour for baking. The farm stand also carries a honey and almond butter combination (honey on bottom, almond butter on top), made from honey produced on the farm. Nate told me that they keep their own honey bees to pollinate the almond trees so they don’t have to import the service. 

Back in the 60s, Fat Uncle Farms was organic before organic was something that needed certification. The farmers transitioned to conventional methods as technologies became available but now they are moving back in the direction of organic again.

“No spray and no fertilizers – because of the age of the trees, they don’t need it” says Nate.

One unique thing about Fat Uncle Farms is that it offers an Almond Reward Card. Buy 10, get one free. The farm also hopes to offer glass jars for the almond butters and will be offering a rebate program for glass returns. You’ll get an extra stamp on your card for bringing your own bag for the almonds as well. 

The price of almond joy and happiness is $5 a bag or $8 for 2 bags.

Christy Wilhelmi is well known to many local Mar Vistans as The Gardenerd. Her website and blog at  www.gardenerd.com offers  information on classes, consulting and food-garden design. 

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