Nuts are halthy and tasty, but many kids are just plain expensive. The store I work at has an excellent bulk section with any kind of nut, seed, and/or legume you could possibly want. On the cheap end of the spectrum are peanuts, flax seeds and sunflower seeds for 79 cents to $1.99 per pound. If I'm going to use a nut and/or seed in my cooking, that's generally what I'm going to use.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are pin nuts and macadamia nuts for $19.99 per pound. If I decided to sell my plasma twice a week I might be able to afford these. Just because a recipe calls fora certain kind of nut, you're in no way obligated to use that exact nut. Most of the time, nuts are just there for a little crunch, or to make the dish look pretty. I usually just leave them out. My banana bread tastes just fine with raisins and no nuts. So does my rice pilaf. If you're making pesto and want all the nutty goodness pesto is known for, try making it with walnuts.
If you know someone with a walnut or pecan tree in their yard, ask if they have some extras they'd like to get off their hands. Most people I know with pecan trees are more than happy to give away pecans just for the asking. Many just want to get them off their lawn.
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