Homemade Almond Milk

Ingredients

• 
  
  1 cup raw almonds
  
• 
  
  Filtered water (2 cups for soaking + 3½ cups for blending)
  

Directions

1. Soak the nuts in 2 cups of cold, filtered water at least overnight – 24 hours is even better.
2. Drain the nuts and put them in a blender with 1 ½ cups of fresh, filtered water.
3. Blend for 3 minutes on high speed.
4. Scrape down the sides and add up to 2 more cups of filtered water to the blender. (You can add even more, if you want thinner milk.) Blend for at least another minute.
5. While the blender is running, place a strainer over a large measuring cup or bowl. Cover the strainer with butter muslin or several layers of medium weave cheesecloth. (Butter muslin can be purchased from cheesemaking suppliers, or at crafts and fabric stores, where it’s called “90 muslin”).
6. Once blended, pour the almond milk over the strainer. When you start to see a lot of pulp and not much liquid – usually within about 5 minutes – gently use a spoon to push some of the pulp aside so you can pour more milk through.
7. After about 20 minutes, all told, carefully draw up the edges of the cheesecloth and twist them together as you start to press on the ball of pulp to extract the remaining milk. Take care not to let the pulp ooze out of the edges of the cheesecloth. Squeeze as much milk out as you can.
8. Wash off your cheesecloth under running water (rinsing it with filtered water), wring it well, and hang it over the edge of a counter or over a chair to dry. You’ll want to use it again!
9. Pour the milk into a tightly lidded pitcher or jar and refrigerate. It should keep for 3-4 days. If it separates, just give the jar a good shake, or stir it well with a spoon.
10. Enjoy! ;o)

11. NB: This recipe can be halved or doubled or tripled.