To remove the bitter inner skins from almonds and filberts/hazelnuts, roast the nuts (on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan) at 200F until they become aromatic and golden, then rub them in a towel until most of the skin comes off.
To blanch almonds, put them in a saucepan of water and cook them 2-3 min.; drain them and rub the skins off with a towel, then spread the nuts on a baking sheet to dry. You can put them in a 200-degree oven and they'll dry in about 5 min. but be careful not to roast them.
"Fresh" nuts in a grocery store are often a year or more from harvest -- just the way the system works -- so if you can find a direct source you're ahead of the game. Burnt Ridge has locally-grown walnuts, hazelnuts/filberts, and chestnuts at the Olympia Farmers' Market in the fall and early winter, and Holmquist does mail order hazelnuts. They carry a variety called "Duchilly" which I can recommend; they're longer and sweeter than the usual "Barcelona" variety.
