I purchase my almonds from Sam's Club. Not sure about currant prices.
I'd suggest the book,
Not Milk...NUT MILKS! by Candia Lea Cole. She gives great information about making not just almond milk, but also cashew, pecan, pine nut, walnut, pumpkinseed, sesame and sunflower seed milks. You can also make "milk" from rice and oats, for even more non-dairy options.
In my experience, an important part of making almond milk is to soak the almonds overnight (8-hours or so), but you won't find that information in every recipe for almond milk. Soaking begins the sprouting process, but it also increases nutrition and makes the almonds easier to digest. Soaking deactivates the naturally occurring enzyme inhibitors in the nuts. I soak and dehydrate all the almonds and pecans we use for eating/cooking/baking to increase nutrition, reduce phytic acid, and make them easier to digest.
Nut milk can be fortified with flaxmeal or Hi-Maize Resistant Starch, to increase fiber and nutrition. Guar gum can be added as a thickener, as well as it's high fiber. You can also add all kinds of spices and flavorings for new flavors.
Almond milk
can be substituted for dairy milk in most recipes, and is a GOOD substitute in cooking and baking as far as the taste goes; but it really depends on what the milk does within the recipe. A little food-science can go a long way. If a recipe uses the high-fat content of cream or half-and-half, then almond milk just doesn't have the same "science". But in quick breads (pancakes, muffins, etc.,), even in cooked pudding (NOT instant pudding), it works very well in most instances because it's adding hydration, for the most part.
Almonds are high in calcium and protein, and very tasty for a nut milk. I strain out the pulp and dehydrate it until it's crispy, then whirr it in the blender, using it in recipes calling for almond flour. I store the almond flour vacuum-sealed in a jar, in the freezer, to keep the fat in it from oxidizing and going rancid. If you are going to use it quickly, you can refrigerate it.
I use this recipe when I don't want to make a large batch of almond milk.
5 almonds soaked overnight in about 1 cup water
1 c. homemade kefir
1/2 t. ground cardamom
agave nectar (or honey) to taste
In the morning, drain almonds and peel them (the skin comes off easily when you rub them with your fingers). Add all the ingredients and blend. You can also warm the kefir and make this a warm beverage.
You'll find all kinds of variations of almond milk recipes. Try a number of them until you find the one/s you like. Here's one where the almonds are roasted first, then soaked - this has been on my list of recipes to try:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/06/homemade-almond-milk/
I can roast the almonds in my Solar Oven; and I understand the almond milk has a "richer" taste when the almonds are roasted.
Some recipes use the almonds with the skin on, you may like it better with the skin off - it's a choice.
As far as allergies go, people have all kinds of unknown allergies, and nuts are just one of a long list of potential allergens. Always start out something new that MAY be an allergen by consuming small amounts of it and checking for a reaction.
