Almond Trees- Delicious 1000 Year Old Secret

Almond trees have grown in Europe for over 1000 years. Spain is now the world´s second-largest almond producer and almond growing plays a key role in Andalucian life.

A long history of human agriculture, trade, and migration has enriched the manmade landscapes with many introduced plants. One such species, introduced by the Moors around 1000 years ago, transforms huge swathes of countryside in early spring.

This is the edible or sweet almond, prunus dulcis, with its spectacular white or soft pink almond blossom. Almond trees are now a glorious feature of the Spanish landscape, and Spain is second only to the United States as a world almond producer. Andalusia is one of Spain´s three main almond growing regions and the almond nut is celebrated in Andalucian culture and cuisine.

Where Do Almond Trees Come From?

Almonds appear to have originated in Western Asia and North Africa, but their sweet, tasty nuts, cultivated since biblical times and highly prized by the Greeks and Romans, quickly spread around the shores of the Mediterranean.

However, it was the Moors who first introduced them to Spain in many numbers. Legend has it that a Moorish Caliph planted the hills around Cordoba with almond trees as a gift to his wife. Whether this tale is true or not, many hillsides around Andalusia are still white, or sometimes pink, with almond blossom in late winter or early spring.

Almond Growing and Cultivation

Almond trees are ideally suited to warm climates; they’re highly sensitive to frost, particularly when in blossom, but still prefer a cool winter and fairly hot summer.

Despite its vulnerability to frost, the blossom, pale pink on some variety but white in others, appears in late winter, normally in late January or early February. In frost-prone areas, farmers may light fires in their orchards, or spray trees with water mist to defeat the frost.

When Do Almond Trees Bloom?

Almonds trees bloom in February/March of each year; they require cross-pollination and therefore different varieties are planted together. Nearly 100% of the pollination is performed by bees. Bees only work in warm, sunny conditions – so almond farmers are dependent on Mother Nature to provide good weather during bloom.

Through mid-April, growers work hard to protect their trees from frost and diseases enhanced by cold, wet weather. The growing season lasts about 6 months, during which time the trees require 4 acre-feet of water and nutrients in the form of fertilizers.

Regardless of the color of the almond blossom, the abundant almonds – the seeds – are flat, oval and pointed, with white flesh and pale brown skin, encased in a hard brown nut or pit. A pit may contain one or two almonds. The pit is in turn covered by a fleshy green casing with a downy outer skin. As the fruit ripens in late summer this outer casing splits open to expose the nut within.

The Almond Harvest

Toward the end of hot summers, the almonds begin to dry out and the hull (outside jacket) splits to allow the shell (inside jacket) to dry and harden. September and October are harvest time; almonds are shaken off the trees mechanically by a tractor with an arm that grabs the trunk of the tree and shakes it vigorously until all the nuts fall to the ground.

Because the trees are quite large, reaching 6-8 meters high, picking almond nuts by hand would require a head for heights and some acrobatic skill! To avoid climbing, some farmers may gather the almond harvest in the autumn by beating the trees with long poles to bring the nuts down into a net or blanket spread below, or simply wait for them to fall and collect them from the ground.

Next, a sweeper makes a wind row that is picked up by a pick-up machine. The almonds are transferred to a truck that takes them to the huller/sheller where the hulls and shells are removed with large rollers. Almond hulls and shells are ground and used for cattle feed. The nutmeats go through a sizing, grading’ and certification process prior to being sent to manufacturers or consumers like yourself.

The harvest is often the excuse for a major celebration in almond growing areas (like Spain), with parties, feasting, and dancing.

Almond Products and Uses

Almonds are highly nutritious. Most are simply eaten as nuts, either raw or roasted, but they also feature heavily in Arab and Mediterranean cooking. They are widely used in cuisine, often in dishes of Moorish origin, not only in sweets and cakes, but also in the celebrated and delicious almond and garlic based soup, ajo blanco.

Almonds are an excellent source of the antioxidant Vitamin E and magnesium, are rich in calcium and provide a good source of riboflavin, copper, and phosphorus. Almonds contain nearly 12% fiber and 20% protein; the protein has an even balance of essential amino acids. A recent analysis shows that almonds also contain many phytochemicals, which scientists believe to have significant health benefits.

Almond oil is also an important product, and almonds have historically been used in medicine, and currently have a number of medicinal and dietary uses in alternative medicine.

Bitter Almonds

The sweet almond is a domesticated sport of the original wild or bitter almond. The Bitter Almond tree, prunus amagdalus amara is outwardly almost indistinguishable from the Sweet Almond, but its fruit is poisonous if eaten in large quantities, and contain small traces of chemicals which can be combined to produce hydrocyanic acid, giving bitter almonds a characteristic cyanide smell.

Oils distilled from bitter almonds were used medicinally, and also to produce concentrated food flavoring essences, but are highly toxic unless dangerous acids are first removed. The sweet almonds which we normally eat have evolved from many hundreds of years of selective breeding, but may still produce the occasional bitter nut.