These delicious treats are Macaroons/Macarons made from ground Almond Nuts.
Source:https://pixabay.com/photos/macarons-raspberries-mint-pastries-2548777/
I have shown you our Macadamia nut and Pecan nut trees before and today it's the Almond Nut tree on show. We have two Almond Nut trees here in the back garden and a surprise awaits.
Let's have a look.
Here you can see the two Almond trees and the surprise is that they are blossoming in Winter!
And of course the Papillon's (butterflies) are at work pollinating the trees!
Here's another one at work!
Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/almond-fruit-cultivation-maturation-1632239/
Soon the trees will be covered in these Almond fruits!
As you can see the light was bad here today due to all of the rain!
But where do these Almond trees here in South Africa come from?
The answer is below!
Almond History!
"Almonds are mentioned as far back in history as the Bible. They were a prized ingredient in breads served to Egypt's pharos. Their exact ancestry in unknown, but almonds are thought to have originated in China and Central Asia.
Explorers ate almonds while traveling the "Silk Road" between Asia and the Mediterranean. Before long, almond trees flourished in the Mediterranean -- especially in Spain and Italy.
The almond tree was brought to California from Spain in the mid-1700's by the Franciscan Padres. The moist, cool weather of the coastal missions, however, did not provide optimum growing conditions. It wasn't until the following century that trees were successfully planted inland. By the 1870's, research and cross-breeding had developed several of today's prominent almond varieties. By the turn of the 20th century, the almond industry was firmly established in the Sacramento and San Joaquin areas of California's great Central Valley".
"Throughout history, almonds have maintained religious, ethnic and social significance. The Bible's "Book of Numbers" tells the story of Aaron's rod that blossomed and bore almonds, giving the almond the symbolism of divine approval.
The Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm. Today, Americans give guests at weddings a bag of sugared almonds, representing children, happiness, romance, good health and fortune. In Sweden, cinnamon-flavored rice pudding with an almond hidden inside is a Christmas custom. Find it, and good fortune is yours for a year".
Source: https://www.waterfordnut.com/history.html
It is Winter here and you can see that there are no leaves yet on the Almond trees, but yet they are starting to blossom.
Spring is of course knocking on the door and soon the lands will be filled with blossoms again.
Glad to have introduced you to the Almond Nut tree and hope that you have enjoyed the photos!
Thank you for visiting 
Note: All of the photos bearing the mark "Zac Smith" are my own, unedited and only cropped for uploading.
Every other source utilized in the post was duly cited.
