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Eat almonds from Granada. They are versatile, healthy and very tastyI can see vans and tractors bringing freshly harvested almonds in Granada down from the groves at the end of our lane as I write this. 
In March, when the almond blossom petals have fallen and the leaves have grown, the young grey-green fuzzy almonds start to form. Again, this is another popular part of the almond's season because, locally, these baby almonds are eaten whole off the tree. We just pick them off and pop them into our mouths to enjoy the mild nutty taste. As the summer progresses the fuzzy hulls harden and grow to protect the nut inside. And then in July and August the hulls begin to open and widen so that the shells can be exposed to the sun and air to allow them to dry and mature. 
When it's time to harvest the almonds, the ground around the trees is cleaned and nets spread. The trees are beaten with long sticks, in a manner similar to olive harvesting, and then the almonds are gathered. They are de-husked, a task which our friend Juan finds to be a most enjoyable way of spending a few days with Paco. Finally, the almonds are spread out in the sun to dry. Once the nuts are ready they are then eaten or taken to a local co-op where they are sold. How Almonds Are Grown
Almond trees are botanically related to peaches, plums and cherries. Most almond trees are grafted to a peach rootstock to ensure a strong growth. And as they are not self pollinating, two varieties are often grown in alternate rows so that the bees can easily fly from one to the other. Even though the trees are very hardy and will survive dry and cold conditions, just one severe frost as the fruit is setting will result in no almonds for that year. To avoid this problem some later flowering varieties have been developed to ensure better cropping. Lucky Almonds from GranadaThink Good Luck - think almonds! Almonds have been given at weddings as a symbol of fertility and happiness since Roman times.And according to folk lore, marzipan, which is made from almonds and sugar, was first made after a particulary bad famine in Spain when a rich community of nuns decided to grind up the vast amounts of almonds they had had stored away when they decided to feed the needy. Almonds from Granada - Food Of The GodsGrowing almonds in Granada Province is one of the most important farming activities. Sixty almond trees can produce between a hundred and two hundred kilos of almonds each year. Almonds from Spain are second only to the USA in the world's almond production, averaging over 75,000 tonnes per year. Nut production is mainly in the regions of the Mediterranean including Andalucia and the Granda province.Almond waste is traditionally used on fires in winter, incinerated or just dumped, but recent experiments have shown that it is possible to use the shell residues as a substitute for peat in soilless crops.
Almonds are very healthy to eat, being a good source of protein, magnesium and vitamin E. Eating the nuts regularly can also help to reduce cholestorol levels and a couple of handfuls of nuts contain about the same amount of calcium as half a cup of milk and similar amunt of fibre as an orange and an apple put together. But what are almonds from Granada used for? Well, besides shelling them and eating them whole as a nutritious snack, we love almond soup (Sopa de Almendras). However, one of my most favourite ways of enjoying almonds is to eat Almendrados a chocolate and almond covered ice cream. Yummy! Our neighbours and friends, however, love Turron, a Spanish almond nougat. Whichever way you look at them almonds from Granada really are a food of the gods. To catch more information about almonds in Granada subscribe to our newsletter. To go to the top of this page click on almonds Granada To find all our webpages go to our site map If you think this page is interesting, click on our bookmark link below.... |
