The almond nut is a heart-healthy snack.
Almonds are a healthy snack that can actually lower your LDL cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. What we tend to think of as the almond nut is actually the seed of the fruit of the almond tree. Almonds trees grow best in warm Mediterranean climates, but they have been naturalized and grown in several climates throughout the world. Through the process of drying, almonds can keep for more than a year, making them an ideal food to store for a future snack.
Instructions
1. Check your almond tree in mid to late summer. This is the height of almond season. If the hulls of the fruit are still fully intact (not shriveled or cracked), the almond is not yet ripe.
2. Examine the fruit every couple of days until the hull has cracked and separated from the shell. At this point the almond is ready to be picked.
3. Taste an almond or two before completely picking the tree to make absolutely sure that they are ripe. A fresh almond will have an almost milky taste to it.
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