Sue Molnar, age 14, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for her question:

Do cashew nuts grow in shells?

We can buy pecans and walnuts in their shells but the stores do not sell cashew nuts in their shells. Yes, they do grow in shells but there is a good reason why the shells are removed before the nuts go to market. The cashew nut shell is said to contain a poisonous material. Now don't run away with the idea that the delicious nuts themselves are contaminated with any sort of poison. They are not. Neither are the shells when the growers are finished with them.

The cashew nut tree is a tall tropical evergreen with thick wide leaves. We get most of our supplies from South America and Europeans get theirs from India. Each flavorsome nut grows inside a tough hard shell. The shell is cracked and removed, then roasted to destroy the poisonous material it contains. The nuts also are toasted before they go to market. This removed any slight trace of possible contamination    and also brings out the best possible flavor. Those delicious nuts are nvrritious enough to serve as 3 substitute for meat.