Everything You Want to Know About Almonds

Where Almonds Come From

People have been eating almonds for a really long time -- they’ve been around since 1400 BC and were eaten in ancient civilizations like Rome and Greece. Today, the majority of almonds eaten around the world come from California. The state provides about 80% of the world’s almond supply. Pretty impressive.

How Do Almonds Grow?

Almonds grow on trees and thrive in a Mediterranean climate, which just so happens to make California perfect for almond growing. Almond trees bloom around the middle of February into mid March. This is the time when little white and pink flowers bloom from the trees and almond kernels start to grow and mature. They keep growing throughout the summer, and by August, it’s time to start harvesting the nuts.

But, if we’re being technical, let’s be technical: almonds aren’t actually nuts. Botanically, almonds are seeds inside a fruit, also known as a drupe. (But we’ll just keep calling them nuts, thank you very much.)

Types of Almonds

There are about 30 different types of almonds grown in California and about 10 different varieties make up the majority of almonds people eat around the world. The two main types of almonds are Nonpareil and Mission. Nutritionally, these almonds are all pretty similar so no need to stress about getting the most nutritious type of almond.

There are also so many different forms of almonds -- whole, sliced, slivered and chopped. Almonds can be raw, roasted, or blanched -- blanched almonds are nuts soaked in hot water to remove the skin. You can also find almond flour, almond milk, almond oil and almond butter. Overachieving nut? You bet, but we’re here for it and love using almonds in all the ways.

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Sources

Important Notes: Unless otherwise noted, nutrition information is sourced fromUSDA FoodData Centraland reflects thereference amount customarily consumed.These are standardized servings and not necessarily the amount present in the highlighted Daily Harvest recipes.Nutrition information for Daily Harvest products can be found on packages and under "Nutrition Facts" for each product at "daily-harvest.com".Vitamin and mineral functions are sourced fromLinus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center.

Carolina Schneider, MS RD

Nutritionist

Carolina Schneider, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian and founder of Hungry for Plants. She specializes in plant-based nutrition and has followed a whole-food, vegan diet for nearly a decade. With a background in journalism, marketing and public relations, Carolina is adept in creating nutrition content for health and wellness companies that prioritizes the brand’s positioning to consumers. Her experience, combined with her passion and knowledge, equip her to help companies successfully communicate the nutritional benefits of their products to consumers. Originally from Brazil, Carolina is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Carolina received two degrees in Journalism and Public Relations, which have given her the tools to become a writer and excellent communicator. Additionally, Carolina has years of professional experience in marketing, specifically in the food industry, giving her the knowledge to help brands best position their products to reach new customers and improve brand loyalty. Carolina obtained her Master of Science degree in Nutrition & Dietetics, and is passionate about nutrition science and helping individuals improve health and wellbeing through food.