Almond

Almond is direct-sown into its permanent position, since young trees dislike being moved once established; grafted trees are likewise planted out during winter dormancy, roughly from November to April in temperate regions. The tree wants full sun and a well-drained loamy or sandy soil; it tolerates some lime but turns chlorotic if the ground is too calcareous, and it fares badly in wet, acidic soil. Flowering opens very early, before the leaves emerge, and needs roughly 300 hours of winter chilling to trigger bloom, so orchards benefit from shelter against spring frost and from gentle winds that aid pollination.

Watering can stay moderate, since almond survives on rainfall alone in a Mediterranean climate, though irrigation through the spring-to-autumn dry period raises yield. Trees respond to organic matter and phosphorus-rich feeding such as superphosphate, applied at planting and again each early spring. Although partially self-fertile, almond sets a heavier crop when two different trees are grown together, since pollinating insects can be scarce during its very early bloom.

Almond is notably susceptible to honey fungus, and it loses foliage and declines in waterlogged or acidic soil. Too much lime in the ground brings on chlorosis. Because blossom opens so early in the season, a late spring frost can damage the flowers before pollination is complete, cutting the eventual crop.

The fruit is a drupe whose leathery outer hull splits open as it ripens in late summer, releasing the woody-shelled pit that holds the edible kernel. Once harvested and cleaned, almonds keep for around a year if kept refrigerated, but turn rancid sooner at warmer storage temperatures.

Culinary: Almond kernels are eaten raw, roasted, or ground into flour, and are processed into products such as almond milk and almond butter; sweet-seeded kernels are eaten directly, while bitter-seeded kernels are used only as a flavouring, as in marzipan, since they carry higher levels of bitter cyanogenic compounds and are not eaten in quantity.

Industrial: The kernel can contain up to 60 percent oil, and almond seedlings also serve as a grafting rootstock for peaches and apricots.

Ornamental: Its early, pale pink to white blossom makes almond valued as a flowering tree for gardens and containers, and the flowers offer an early source of forage for bees.

Traditional: Compounds drawn from almond seed and young shoots have historically been used in small quantities within traditional medicine practice.

Almond is thought to have originated in Iran and adjacent parts of Central Asia, with its wider native range reaching across the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent; the species is only rarely found truly wild today. It ranks among the earliest domesticated tree fruits, with evidence of cultivation in the Early Bronze Age Middle East dating back some 5,000 years, aided by almond's ability to produce true offspring directly from seed rather than needing grafting or cuttings. From this early centre, almond growing later spread across the Mediterranean region and other areas sharing its arid, cool-winter climate.