Right now, it's chestnuts, because they're free. I get them from the outskirts of the soccer field my daughter plays at. Roast em and eat em. The other parents think I'm...nuts! I guess foraging isn't their thing? Free chestnuts, I'll take it. They're, like, 6 bucks per pound at the store.
Rest of the time? I go down the baking aisle and buy a large bag of pecan halves, a large bag of shelled walnuts, a large bag of unsalted almonds, a small bag of shelled pistachios, a small bag of macadamia nuts, and a large bag/tin of unsalted peanuts. I mix them all up, using 1 part pecan, 1 part almond, 1 part peanut, to 1/2 part walnut, to 1/4 part pistachio, 1/4 part macadamia. I then add some dried cranberries, and some reases pieces.
All said, this costs me about 100 bucks, maybe a touch more, but it gives me the worlds best trail mix for a looooong time. I mix up one big batch, and put that into an empty giant animal cookie jar. The bags give me enough nuts to do 2-3 batches. One animal cookie jug worth is trail mix snack for a month.
