Butter me up

With the recent news that the hot, dry East Coast summer resulted in a small peanut crop, peanut-butter producers are set to raise prices by up to 40 percent this fall. There’s yet another food staple that will be getting more expensive.

The good news, though, is that there are plenty of almonds in California and they make delicious and nutritious nut butter, too. The most recent report from the Almond Board of California projects a fall crop of more than 2 billion pounds of almonds—more than 95 percent of the world supply.

While almond butter can sometimes be rather expensive, you can make your own very easily. Simply puree plain or flavored almonds in a food processor until smooth. It’s best to refrigerate the butter to prevent rancidity. The high levels of vitamin E in almonds add another reason to substitute this healthy butter in your sandwich, making it an AB&J instead of a PB&J.

Look no further than Sacramento’s own Blue Diamond plant at 16th and C streets for an incredible array of almond forms and flavors. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a delicious whiff of roasting nuts to pique your palate.