I have recently discovered a delicious beverage that pleases my taste buds and eases my milkshake cravings without any guilt. The rich creamy texture and slightly sweet flavor of homemade almond milk seems almost decadent. Served in a cold glass filled with ice cubes, it makes an excellent treat on a hot day.

I was first introduced to the concept of almond milk at Phil’s family reunion this summer. His mom’s cousin Betsy, who hails from St. Croix, makes a quart of almond milk daily for herself and her son. She gave us a quick demo one afternoon explaining how to transform almonds into something drinkable. Betsy starts by soaking one cup of raw almonds in four cups of water in a sprouting jar over night. In the morning she dumps out the sprouting water, then puts the soft almonds and four fresh cups of water in the blender. After blending and straining she adds four more cups of water, and voila, one quart of almond milk. Having never heard of a sprouting jar, or tasted almond milk, I was very curious to give it a try.

When we returned to San Diego, I began my search for a sprouting jar. Betsy had said they could be purchased at most natural food stores, so I didn’t expect to have any trouble. After striking out at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Henry’s Farmers Market, I turned to the San Diego Natural Guide to look for other retailers. I really wanted to make my purchase from a local vendor, but a few disappointing phone calls later, I was starting to feel pretty discouraged. Having nearly resigned myself to an Internet purchase, I decided to give the Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Co-op a try. I had only recently heard of the Co-op but had been too intimidated by the name to pay them a visit.

The woman who answered the phone was extremely nice, and very helpful. When I explained that I had never been there before, she talked me through the process of becoming a member, but told me that membership was not necessary. Best of all, they had a quart sized sprouting jar in stock with an extremely affordable $4.95 price tag. I was thrilled.

I made the trek from North Park to Ocean Beach the next morning, and spent nearly an hour walking around the store, and checking out the different products. Not only did I find my sprouting jar, but I also came across several other items I had been searching for, including wheat free soy sauce and 100% buckwheat soba. They also had the largest variety of organic produce I had encountered outside of the farmers market. I left the Co-op that day with a bag full of organic raw almonds, a sprouting jar, and a membership application.

I spent much of the afternoon researching almond milk on the Internet, and found some pretty large discrepancies between most of the recipes, and my memories from the family reunion. Many of the directions called for a nut bag to strain the milk, which I did not have. There was also a big difference in the amount of water added to the final product. The majority of the recipes suggested a final ratio of 3-4 cups of water to 1 cup of almonds, a far cry from the 8 cups of water that Betsy uses. I reasoned that perhaps my memory was a bit foggy, and I that I should just plan to taste-test frequently. Before I retired for the evening I began sprouting my first cup of raw almonds.

I eagerly awoke the following morning to check on my hydroponic experiment. The water was a bit cloudy and the almonds were definitely soft, but not obviously sprouted. They had soaked for the prescribed amount of time so I opted to continue with the milk making as planned. I drained and rinsed the almonds, then added them to the blender along with 3 cups of fresh water. After a few minutes of blending I was salivating from the intoxicating aroma. I grabbed a spoon to sneak a taste, and was surprised by the large amount of pulp in the milk. I didn’t have a nut bag or cheesecloth, so I poured the milk through a fine metal tea strainer, pressing the pulp with my fingers to extract all of the liquid. There was so much pulp that I frequently had to stop to empty the strainer, but it got the job done. Eventually I was left with approximately one and a half cups of fairly dry almond pulp, and 3 cups of sweetly fragrant milk.

Even at room temperature, the almond milk was surprisingly flavorful, with a consistency similar to whole milk. I added a fourth cup of water and tasted again. It was still palatable, but less creamy, with a strong resemblance to 2 percent milk. A fifth cup of water resulted in the consistency of 1 percent milk, but also seemed to thin the taste. I decided not to dilute it any further. I can only assume that Betsy’s almond milk would be similar to skim milk.

Since my first experiment, I have refined my processes. I am currently using cheesecloth for straining, but I intend to buy a reusable nut bag when I run out. I have also concluded that three cups of water to 1 cup of almonds is the best ratio for me. I prefer to drink it over 8 ice cubes, which thins the milk to the perfect consistency as I drink it.

I have been experimenting with recipes that will allow me to use the leftover almond pulp. So far I have had pretty good results using the raw pulp as a replacement for chickpeas in hummus and in place of breadcrumbs in turkey burgers. I am also looking to buy a dehydrator so that I can turn my pulp into almond flour for gluten-free baking. As for the milk itself, while delicious on its own, it also makes a great base sugar free chocolate milk, and sugar free horchata.

Here are the recipes for basic almond milk, and the two flavored variations.