For a long time the islanders have
been growing and harvesting these delicious fruits.
"Fruits?" you ask.
"Isn't an almond a nut?" Well, yes and no.
Although commonly considered a nut, the almond is, curiously enough,
a fruit.
It is part of the family from which other stone-fruit trees derive
their origin,
namely the rose family. Stone fruits include peaches, apricots,
and plums.
The roots of almond history extend
far back to Asia Minor and
the Mediterranean region. In fact, long before the time of Christ,
Middle Easterners were using almonds as a regular feature of their
diet,
and for good reason. A handful
of plain almonds provides not only
a tasty snack but a healthful one. Almonds contain important nutrients,
as well as significant amounts of essential vitamins and minerals.
"From our place high on a hill,
we could see a series of white islands scattered
throughout the blue-green hillside above. A closer look reveals
that what seems from
a distance to be fields of white popcorn balls are, in reality,
thousands of
individual trees, each full of white blooms with delicate pink centers
that fill the air with their heady fragrance.
These delights that thrill our senses best describe an almond orchard
in full bloom during early spring." (Anonymous)
They do not export almonds from
La Palma any longer. Other countries
that have had greater opportunities have taken over. For one reason,
machines are used to shake the trees, gather up the almonds, and
even separate
the debris of dirt and hulls from the fruit. When
you look at the landscape
down here, you just can't imagine how they should be able to do
the
harvesting here in the same matter.
no
comments.....
Often,
when we went around in the hills, and watched the beautiful panorama
of
almond orchards in full bloom, we thought of these words written
so many centuries ago:
"Praise Jehovah from the earth, . . . you mountains and all
you hills, you fruit trees and all you cedars."
(Psalm 148:7-9 in the Bible)
Even at sunset it's a marvelous sight!
link to more almonds: click
here