The almond blossom. The birth of nougat

If you like to admire the spectacle of the almond blossom, this is the time to escape to the countryside and the mountains. This tree is at its peak at this time of the year, with the blossom in the open air and the landscape covered with a soft blanket of colors ranging from white to pinkish.

This flowering is the phase that welcomes the birth of the almondwhich, as you know, is, together with the honeyone of the main ingredients of the nougat.

By the way, do you know how almonds grow and ripen? It is a unique process that from Pablo Garrigós we are going to explain to you here in a simple way. You will love it if you are a nature lover. And of the nougatof course.

When is the almond born?

Before talking about flowering, let's take a look back. Specifically to the depths of winter (December and January approximately), which is when the phase of what is known as "rest" of the tree occurs. This period is very important, since the almond tree has to accumulate hours of cold (if possible, below 7ºC).

Now back to the present day. The flowering cycle of the millenary tree takes place between February and March, although everything will depend on whether the variety is earlier or later. This can be a problem in the case of the earlier varieties, because they can be more affected by frosts that have occurred during the winter.

Flowering is accompanied by the fertilization and the pollination. In the case of the marcona almonds, which are the ones we use for nougatsThe intervention of bees is essential to transport pollen from one tree to another.

Summer arrives

From March (and more or less until June), the phase of the flowering y fertilization. It is then when the fruit begins to ripen and the shell hardens, forming a kind of pod around it.

During the summer is when the almonds finish ripening. They grow inside the shell and then the pod gradually cracks, leaving them visible.

And then it's time to...

Harvesting. They should be harvested between August and September.

And how is this collection process? We will explain that later in a new article. When we are closer to the campaign of the exquisite nougat that we are going to elaborate at Pablo GarrigósCan you wait?