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Fresh
Pistachio Fruit
To many Australians, fresh pistachios are a relatively new delicacy.
Unlike
the familiar dried pistachio nuts, fresh green pistachio
fruit is a seasonal speciality. It must be kept refrigerated
(0 - 4° Celsius) having similar keeping qualities to
fresh berries.
Harefield Pistachios are harvested
in the coolness of the early morning throughout March to
early April. The fruit is then kept chilled until it reaches
the consumer. To ensure product quality, the fresh fruit
reaches the markets in Sydney and Melbourne within 24 hours
of being picked from the tree.
 Once
picked, Harefield Pistachios are hand graded,
with only premium fruit being selected
for public release as a fresh product. Transparent punnets,
like those used for fresh berries, are used for packaging.
They are designed for constant refrigeration and allow for
optimum display of the pistachio's natural, vibrant colours...
pink, purple and green. This visual display assists both
retailer and consumer in recognising when the fresh product
is at the peak of its perfection.
Preparing
Fresh Pistachio Fruit
When eating fresh pistachios straight
from the shell, peel the soft pinkish hull off, then open
the split shell underneath. The kernel of the nut inside
the shell has a very fine pink to purple skin, but you do
not need to remove this skin when cooking with them.
Shell splitting is dependent on genetics
(the particular variety of the nut), and also on the ripening
process. If you happen to find an occasional 'non split'
(which are perfectly natural), use a nut cracker - the kernel
inside will still be delicious.
Nutritional
Information
Following
are the results of a chemical analysis undertaken for Harefield
Pistachios by Analchem Bioassay laboratories, registered
public analysts in New South Wales. The analysis was done
on fresh fruit.
The
table shows our fresh pistachios to be a reliable source
of calcium, fibre, magnesium, vitamins A, B1, C, potassium,
phosporus and protein. 88% of the fat content consists of
'good oils' (monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats).
| Nutrition |
per
100g |
| Energy
(kJ) |
1810.0 |
| Protein
(g) |
16.6 |
| Fats |
|
|
Monounsaturated fat (g) |
21.9 |
|
Polyunsaturated fat (g) |
7.8 |
|
Saturated fat (g) |
4.2 |
| Carbohydrate |
|
|
Total (g) |
16.0 |
|
Sugars (g) |
6.0 |
| Potassium
(mg) |
630.0 |
| Total
dietary fibre (g) |
12.1 |
| Vitamin
B1 (mg) |
0.49 |
| Calcium
(mg) |
60.0 |
| Magnesium
(mg) |
73.0 |
| Phosphorus
(mg) |
253.0 |
An aflotoxin analysis undertaken on
a sample of fresh Harefield Pistachios by the Australian
Government Analytical Laboratories reported that they do
not contain aflotoxins.
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