Cashews...

I love cashews, but I really never knew how they grew or what they grew on. For instance, when you read the back of a container of cashews it says, "Allergy Information: Manufactured on eqipment that processes peanuts and other tree nuts." Which I think that this piece of information is a little redundant, if you ask me...HELLO, you're going to eat a nut!

So, I looked up something completely random, just because I wanted to know more information about, not because I had to or anything like that.

And this is what I learned....

Cashews grow on trees that can only live in warm and humid climate, and not just any tree, they're small evergreens.

The cashew tree is in the same family of poison ivy and poison sumac

Growing from the cashew seed, is what's called a cashew apple. (Which I have never heard of until know.)

The cashew apple's skin is so sensitive, that it makes it unsuitable for shipping. (Which may explain why I've never heard of it!)

And my favorite...

Cashews still in the shell are poisonous, not the cashew itself, but the oils in the shell are, and if you tried to shell it yourself, you'll most likely end up with the poisonous oils on the cashew seed. I don't even want to think about what would happen if you then ate the cashew.


To find out more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew

http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/cashews.html