Almonds are members of the peach family. The tree blossoms in the spring before it grows leaves.There are two kinds of Almonds, sweet and bitter. An Almond, technically, isn’t a nut — it’s the pit of a fruit related to peaches, plums and apricots. The Almond fruit is small, green and has soft, velvety fuzz…
Drupes
Cherries
Cherries © Denzil GreenCherries are a member of the rose family, along with peaches, plums, apricots, and almonds. There are Sweet Cherries and Sour Cherries. Sweet Cherries are usually eaten fresh on their own; Sour Cherries are used for their flavour in sweetened items such as preserves and baking. Cherries have to be hand-picked because…
Mangos
Mango (Tommy Atkin variety) © Denzil GreenThere are several varieties of Mango fruit. Depending on the variety, the skin can be green or red, and the fruit can weigh between 6 oz (170g) and 5 pounds (2 ¼ kilos.) The Manila variety has yellow skin, the Tommy Atkins variety has red and green skin, the…
Nectarines
Nectarines (4378) © Denzil Green Nectarines are related to peaches, part of the rose family. In fact, they are very much like a hairless peach. They are not a cross between a peach and a plum, as some people think. In fact, some botanists now suspect that peaches may have been a cross between Nectarines…
Olives
Olives © Denzil GreenMost Olive trees are man-made cultivars, rather than true botanical varieties, and won’t reproduce true to seed; they are propagated by grafting. Seeds are planted, though, being cracked before planting to help them germinate. When seedlings grow up from them, they are either used as rootstock to which cuttings from other trees…
Peaches
Peaches can be categorized in various ways: clingstone vs freestone, and yellow vs white. White peaches can perform differently in cooking, and are not reliably acidic enough for current home canning recommendations.
Raspberries
Raspberries are sweet, very soft berries. They can be white, yellow, orange or black, but the most common are, of course, red. A raspberry is actually a cluster of fruit Botanically, a raspberry is actually a bunch of fruits that have grown together. The next chance you get, take a half bite out of one,…