A yen for walnuts

Ever had a food that seemed to call to you: “Eat me. Eat me?” Of course, you have, all you ice cream aficianados out there. My siren snack is walnuts. My sister-in-law Marilyn, who lives in Walnut Creek, Calif., fed right into my weakness this holiday season by sending hand-shelled walnuts from Mellow Farm that she bought at her local farmers’ market.

These make me rethink every prepackaged or even Whole Foods bulk buy of walnuts I’ve ever made. Each Mellow Farm walnut half is perfect with a beautifully clean flavor and great crunch. Each bite, and I’m smitten again. Walnuts are good for you — a great source of plant protein with fiber, vitamins B and E, and excellent omega 3 fatty acids. They’re also pretty high in calories. Moderation, counsel the nutritionists, is the key. Really hard to do when those walnuts are calling to me.

I looked up Mellow Farm, which is in Morgan Hill, Calif. It turns out the family has been farming since the 1800s, and are now into the fourth generation growing and selling fruit, walnuts, vegetables, and flowers, much of it at farmers’ market.  I’m violating the locavore code, of course, with a California food source, but still I can get the sense of the farm family and their pride in what they grow. That’s important to me. Marilyn just sent another batch of walnuts because she loves visiting the woman who sells them at the market. As for me, I’m willing to add extra exercise to compensate for the calories. After all, a little walnut addiction can’t hurt, can it?