Prunis dulcis

Prunus dulcis is a species of tree native to the Middle East. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus Prunus, it is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed. The fruit of the almond is not a true nut, but a drupe, which consists of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed ('nut') inside. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. (Wikipedia)

Why almonds? For the last month it has been a re-occurring topic that just keeps popping up!
Nothing major…for example; I switched from soy milk to almond milk (yawn).

On a more interesting note, I happen to live in an area of California where almond orchards abound and this month the trees are laden with fruit. My friend Karen who owns an orchard has shared some of the details of harvest time (now) and let me tell you….it is work!!! She will be crowned “La Reine d'amandes” at the harvest end.

I happen to love sweet almond oil. Wonderful for massage oil and a necessary ingredient in a high quality lip balm or hand and nail treatment. http://www.etsy.com/listing/54984066/hand-and-cuticle-balm-organic-shea

Oh…and I love to eat almonds. Great energy food when you are TRYING to diet. I like them plain and not smoked, sweetened, flavored.
Many cultures enjoy culinary delights using almonds (mandel). Norwegians use a lot of almonds in baking. I made “Prince’s Cake” many years ago and it was fabulous. https://www.sofn.com/norwegian_culture/showRecipe.jsp?document=Fyrstekake.html
French almond macaroon, Italian almond biscotti, German and Danish Frangipan (almond cake) Middle Eastern Sfouf (semolina and almond cake) and East Indian Badam Phirni (rice and almond pudding).

The cultural history of almond use is rich and quite interesting. Here is a brief peek from one of my favorite sites: http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/almon026.html

Bitter almond -Prunus amygdalis var. amara (Rosaceae) is a different species than the sweet almond and has been used in the flavor industry. It is used is dilute quanities due to the potential toxicity of the constituent amygdalin which is a cyanogenic glycoside and quite deadly. It has been replaced with synthetic benzaldehyde and can provide a sweet “cherry” note to perfume blends.

Summer's End

Not nice how Summertime has just come and gone so quickly!

An interesting paradox happens with old parents of young children. My son is only 8 and I turned 50 this year and found something to be true. Many elder adults say that time passes more quickly the older you get and YES it does. And why does this happen...someone please tell me!!

Is there a way to match up this gap? I can see that this is only my problem and that of only perception. I fear that I will be speeding though time and missing something while Jakob is on some other plane of existence. AND....I barely went swimming this summer.

Could that simply be the problem?

Well I won't let that happen again next year.

Wildflowers and Contests

We are soon approaching our one year mark living in Chico, California. The rain has been non-stop and the ground has soaked it up nicely. The rivers and lakes are full!! I have never lived anywhere as green as this! The flowers are everywhere and so many happy bees as well.

Last weekend I hosted the first Shasta EsScents contest with the prize being a lovely oil perfume that was won by Michelle Labrie from Waterville, Maine. Congratulations Michelle!

The participants had to list 3 wildflowers that grow on Mt. Shasta. I loved looking up the flowers myself and learning about the huge varieties and looking at the fabulous photos.

Shasta Wildflowers http://www.shastawildflowers.com/index.html is a extraordinary website and offers some field guides and CD roms. I think I must have one for my next hike on the mountain...once the snow melts.

When living in Mt. Shasta, one of the things I loved to do in the early summer was a hike to Castle lake or up to Horse Camp to enjoy the wildflowers. I couldn't really identify more than a half dozen or so and probably still can't. Many years ago I took a few weekend classes that consisted of hiking around Castle Lake or on Mt. Shasta to learn about wildflowers. Imagine that. I could not believe that I was actually given biology credit for this amazing experience. The instructor, Dr. Kenneth Beatty was a curious and gentle man. He was an incredible teacher and had a real love of botany and life science. I am sad to say that he passed away in February of this year. It is hard for me to imagine the many lives he touched in his 40+ year career at College of the Siskiyous teaching Biology. I will always remember him...and while I was a marginal student, he planted a seed in my heart that grew my love of flowers. I am sure Dr. Beatty is resting in peace-- in a bed of beautiful wildflowers.