The Almond tree has a long history;

they grew wild on the slopes of

Central Asia and appeared on the

ancient Silk Road which connected

the West with China.

Almond and Peach trees are closely

related but in actual fact they produce

“drupes” not nuts. The drupe is a

fruit in which the outer fleshy part

surrounds a shell with a seed inside.

Other flowering trees which produce

drupes are: apricot, cherry, damson,

peach, olive and plum

In California, the pollination of their

almond orchards is the largest,

managed annual pollination in the world!

Almost a million bee hives are brought

from all over the USA in February each

year to the almond orchards.

Beekeepers from more than 38 states

take part in this huge event which is

generally managed by

Pollination Brokers!

(I did not know there was such a thing!)

Due to the huge demand for pollination

in California there is now a distinct

possibility that bees may be imported

from Australia especially for the

almond’s flowering in February.

In ancient history, Pagans used

almonds as fertility charms and

the Romans used them as confetti

at weddings to ensure

a happy and “fruitful” union!

Sugared almonds are still offered at

weddings to symbolize good fortune

When the nuts are ready for harvesting,

the orchard floors are swept

and then “Tree Shakers” are used.

These shakers take a hold of the

tree and literally shake the nuts

off the tree onto the floor where

they are briefly left to dry before

being lifted and taken away

for the next stage.

It has a life-span of about twenty

to twenty five years but only starts

producing nuts about four years

after planting.

It is a small deciduous tree which can

reach a height of up to ten metres.

The flowers, which appear before

the leaves, carry a heavenly perfume

which lasts for about a fortnight.

The flowers can be white or pale pink depending

on whether it is sweet

almonds or bitter almonds,

with the leaves following in early Spring.

The logs are quite heavy and

dense; the bark is grey and quite

similar to Cherry, the wood itself is

a golden colour with the heart-wood

more of an apricot colour.

Almond has a pleasant, light and aromatic

“nutty” smell when burning. It is a clean

burning wood with a high heat output and

if you are going to use it for cooking:

use it with fish, poultry and pork.

It is quite a difficult wood to light as it is so

dense, so do not skimp on the kindlers!

The firewood we have comes from the

pruning of the trees and from trees that

are cut down because they are no

longer commercially viable

Almond nuts have many culinary

uses: they can be eaten on their

own, toasted and sprinkled over

ice cream or desserts.

In Greece and China they are

mainly used for desserts but in

India they form the basis for

many curries

In California, Almonds are the top

agricultural export with a value of

over a billion dollars!

This tree has produced more

firewood than any other single

fruit tree which has been

planted there.