A De Luz boutique farm is processing locally grown, cold-pressed Macadamia nut oil, now available for sale online, according to Kurt Merrill, owner of Gold Crown Macadamia Nuts.
On Wednesday, Merrill opened the Gold Crown Macadamia Nut website to sell the product made on his property in the De Luz hills west of Temecula. He says he is the first company in the continental United States to provide cold-pressed, locally grown, and sourced Macadamia Nut oil.
Merrill left Idyllwild and Temecula for the greener hills of De Luz in 2020, according to his website. Now, he and his family operate the 11-acre Macadamia Nut, Honey, and Christmas Tree Farm. The Gold Crown Macadamia nut farm is available for visit by appointment.
Along with the Macadamia nuts, Merrill harvests fruit from many varieties of exotic trees across his property and has even planted a small Christmas tree farm.
Macadamia nut oil is said to be 40 times more heart-healthy than olive oil, and its higher smoke point makes it perfect for cooking. Merrill said. The rich, buttery flavor makes it perfect, healthy culinary oil.
Bakers and cooks can use the nutty oil as a replacement for recipes that call for olive or avocado oil, Merrill says.
According to online cooks, the neutral-flavored oil is suitable for salad dressings, dipping, and frying. Recipes for the oil have cropped up on Instagram, including tips for making Macadamia nut oil mayonnaise from Love of Macadamia.
When you think of Macadamia nuts, Hawaii may come to mind, even though Australia has a corner on the market. Leading growers of the large nut are in Kenya and South Africa, according to www.CiviBeat.org. As opposed to other growers across the globe, the nut grown in Temecula is smaller in size, though still packed with flavor, according to Merrill.
He and his staff hand-select each nut to be cold-pressed into oil, a process that has taken years to perfect. Each 8.5 fluid-ounce bottle sells for $27.95.
There are a few drawbacks to the oil: the price (nearly $30 for roughly one cup) and its primarily online availability, unless you live in Southwest Riverside County and wish to buy directly from Gold Crown Macadamia farm in De Luz.
According to a medically reviewed HealthCentral article, Macadamia nut oil has the best ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 of any cooking oil: one to one. It has even more healthful oleic acid than olive oil. Its smoke point is 390°F, so you can use it for cooking almost anything, aside from grilling and frying at the highest heat. It is shelf-stable and has a mild, pleasant, buttery flavor.
To learn more, visit www.goldcrownmacadamianuts.com or call 760-745-4396.
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