teaser: Since the 1980s, the long-awaited almond harvest has increasingly had to submit to the global economic powerhouses of Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, farmers on Mallorca know how to use their treasures profitably.
Traditional almond harvest
After the almonds begin to ripen in June, farmers originally looked forward to the autumn harvest. The magnificent blossom of the almond tree meant that a bountiful harvest could be expected.
With the beginning of the autumn month of September, the almond fruits were shaken from the trees. With the help of many busy hands they were read out. Eventually, they go to appropriate factories to be cleaned and cracked.
Today, these processes have become part of large industrial processes.
Complex processes
In September, on sunny days, wide safety nets are laid out under the almond trees. Harvesters shake the almonds from the tree with the help of iron bars. Many withered branches and old leaves also fall down. In the next step, the magnificent harvest is dumped into cotton sacks and transported for further processing.
Branches and twigs are mechanically separated from the almond fruits. They are then carefully peeled and packaged. In some areas, harvest workers are now even being replaced by machines. However, since the rent for electric tree shakers is very high, there is often no lucrative profit for the farmers.
Compromises on four legs
For this reason, the almonds are not harvested in low-yield vintages. In this way they fall from the tree alone and serve as food for pigs. In Mallorca, these animal species have adapted to the cracking of the hard almond shell over time.
However, there are more and more poor harvests, which are the result of almond trees that are not cared for. If these are not cut annually, these trees die after 3 to 4 years.
This decay is already leaving clear traces on Mallorca:
- Since the beginning of the year 2000, the area under cultivation has halved from 30,000 hectares to 15,000.
- However, gourmet cooks appreciate these delicacies of pure almonds.
- Pure almonds are often stretched with other ingredients.
tips and tricks
There are still a few pure almond products on Mallorca. These are available at the Palma Eco Market. The Sunday market in Santa María also offers these natural quality items.