can i substitute for pine nuts? please help

[trudy o]

Hi Im making the potato and artichoke gratin for dinner (its in oven) but just opened pine nuts to discover bugs in them - is there anthing I can use to substitute for the pine nuts? I have walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias in cupboard

[judydawn]

 I found these as substitutes trudy o:   walnuts (this is a common variation in pesto) OR almonds (this is a common variation in pesto) OR hazelnuts (this also works in pesto) OR cashews (raw, unsalted) OR peanuts (unsalted) OR sunflower seeds

[achookwoman]

I would go with the Almonds,  Trudy O

[cookie1]

Trudy I now  keep my pine nuts in the freezer as I had the same problem and my pantry was alive with pantry moths.

[judydawn]

That's where mine are too Cookie, we pick up wonderful tips on this forum 

[achookwoman]

Oh,  the joys of living in a cold climate.  The pantry is like a freezer.

[cookie1]

Very useful I should imagine.

[obbie]

I threw out 2 lots of flour Sunday, due to weevils.


Now flour is in the freezer to stay.
Robyn

[Ceejay]

I've used almonds or cashews okay in most things Trudy. 

[mcmich]

I don't have room in my freezer for storage and find a putting a couple of bay leaves in the flour
wards off weavels.

[dede]

I noticed on My kitchen rules last night they mad a pesto using walnuts.
Not that I know anything about pesto as I have never made it.

[NikkiB]

Hi there - sorry to hear about your pine nuts. Can I help with some advice and information about moth damage in the kitchen, which may well be the cause of your problem. Other signs that may suggest food moth activity are maggots in kitchens or on kitchen walls and ceilings. These maggots are actually the larval stage of kitchen moths. 

Here are some tips on how to get rid of food moths for good:

1. REMOVE - Remove your food from the affected drawers or cupboards and vacuum really thoroughly paying attention to edges, cracks and crevices inside and out.

2. CLEAN - Thoroughly clean all surfaces that may be affected and leave to dry. Discard any infested foodstuffs away from your house.

3. KILL - Spray the affected storage unit to kill any eggs and / or larvae

4. MONITOR / PREVENT - Place moth traps close to affected areas to monitor for adult moths and to break the breeding cycle

5. REFRESH - Keep moth traps current and replace every 3 months –  with warmer houses food moth damage and infestations are now a year-round problem, and moth prevention is better than cure. 

[judydawn]

Hi NikkiB, welcome to the forum with your first posting and thanks for that information - quite a few of our members seem to have had this problem in the past and every little bit of information is a help.  Why not pop over to our Introduce Yourself section on the home page and tell us a bit about you and your TMX activities.

[Cuilidh]

NikkiB welcome to the forum and thanks for that post.  I've never had this problem, touch wood, but it's so good knowing that there is help and advice on the forum.

Hope you are enjoying your TMX and we look forward to hearing from as time goes by.

[cookie1]

Welcome NikkiB. I've had roblems with the dreaded p0antry moth and have traps all over the place now.

Our budgie loves wheat, so the other day when I was giving him some I noticed my wheat had weevils in it. No wonder the poor little bird hadn't been eating it lately. My message to myself was only buy it in the quantities you require.