California Farming
California Almonds Lead Nation
California's third commodity is almonds, just under and milk #1, and grapes #2.
California's almond acreage is estimated at 1,390,000 acres. Of the total acreage for 2018, 1,090,000 acres were bearing and 300,000 acres were non-bearing. Preliminary bearing acreage for 2019 was estimated at 1,170,000 acres. Nonpareil continued to be the leading variety, followed by Monterey, Butte, Carmel, and Padre.
Kern, Fresno, Stanislaus, Merced and Madera were the leading counties. These five counties had 72% of the total bearing acreage.
When I get hungry, I grab the 1 pound bag of almonds and begin snacking. Perhaps I overdo it, but there's nothing quite as tasty. California is U.S. leader in growing almonds. If you can get them fresh from the farmer's market or store, there's no need to head for the farm--maybe. California's almond growers set up road stands seasonally and sell direct to the public in many locations of the Central Valley. Once you've tried the fresh picked almonds, your life may be forever changed. The soft, buttery taste of fresh picked almonds is unlike anything you've tried. I'm an almond fan and I eat mine mostly plain. However, almonds are used in gourmet dishes, are added for texture, flavor, and can be processed into paste for pastries and desserts.
California Almond Festivals include Ripon Almond Festival & Parade in February and Oakley Almond Festival in September.
History of Almonds
100 AD: The Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm.
There are documented findings that nutmeats and dried fruits were
treated as delicacies of the time, as the cultivation of these foods was
not very prevalent.
# 1900 AD: By the 1870s, research and crossbreeding 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.
# 2000 AD: In the past 30 years, California's almond yield has
quadrupled. More than half a million acres in the lush San Joaquin and
Sacramento valleys are under almond cultivation, stretching 400 miles
between Bakersfield and Red Bluff, California. The modern industry of
today reveals a different look at almonds. Now focused on highly
advanced methods of production sorting, hulling and processing, the
industry still maintains its down-to-earth goodness invoked by this
simple nut.
# Today: Almonds are California's largest tree nut crop in total dollar
value and acreage. They rank as the largest US specialty crop export, as
well as the top agricultural export of the state of California.
Nutritional analysis per serving.
Calories 400 Fiber 4g
Fat 16g Cholesterol 80mg
Sat Fat 2g Sodium 460mg
Mono Fat 4g Calcium
Poly Fat 4.5g Magnesium
Protein Potassium
Carb Vitamin E
* total alpha-tocopherol equivalents
Type Comment Here
Curried Chicken Salad created by: Ellie Krieger cookbook author, "So
Easy: Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week"
servings: 4
ingredients
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
(about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 cup halved red grapes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
5 ounces mixed greens (about 5 cups lightly packed)
4 lemon wedges
4 ounces pita chips
Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring
occasionally, until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3
minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder.
Fold in the chicken, grapes, and cilantro and season with salt and
pepper. This salad will keep in an airtight container in the
refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To serve, put a scoop of the chicken salad on a bed of greens on a plate
or in a to-go container and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Add a
lemon wedge to squeeze over the greens just before eating. Serve with
pita chips, stored in a separate container, if packing.
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Alldrin Brothers |
The Almond Company |
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Almonds of California |
Almonds California Pride |
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Ballico Bio Farming |
Barnard Organic Farms |
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Stan Barth Farms |
Baugher Ranch Organics |
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Beckner Farms |
Big Tree Organic Farms |
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Billings Marketing |
Blech Almond Packers |
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Blue Diamond Growers |
Borges of California |
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Buchanan Hollow Nut Company |
California Almond Packers & Exporters |
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California Grown Nut Co. |
California Nut Company |
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Campos Brothers |
Capay Canyon Ranch |
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Central Valley Processing |
Chico Nut Company |
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Circle M Nut Co. |
D & K Orchard |
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Del Mar Farms |
Del Rio Nut Company |
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A.D.P. DePalma Farms |
T. M. Duche Nut Co. |
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D.V. Enterprises & Co. |
Elk Ridge Almonds |
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Fair Trade Corner |
Famoso Nut Company |
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Fisher Nut Company |
Gold Hills Nut Co. |
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Golden Gate Nuts |
Golden West Nuts |
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Grizzly Nut LLC |
Harris-Woolf California Almonds |
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Hilltop Ranch |
Holland Nut Co. |
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Hudelson Nut Company |
Hughson Nut |
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International Almond Exchange Inc. |
JD Almond Farms |
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Jenny's Almonds |
Jess Smith & Sons Commodities |
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Lagier Ranches |
Lakespring Farms |
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M/T Trading Company |
Maisie Jane's |
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Mandelin Inc. |
Mariani Nut Company |
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Minturn Nut Company |
Monte Vista Farming Company |
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Montpelier Nut Co. |
H. Naraghi Farms |
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Nichols Pistachio |
North Valley Nut |
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Nunes Farms Marketing |
Oro Loma Ranch |
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Paddack Hulling & Shelling |
Panoche Creek Packing |
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Paramount Farms |
P-R Farms |
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Premier Nut Co. |
Premiere Almonds |
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Prison Industry Authority |
Purity Organics |
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Quality Nut Company |
Riverwest Processing |
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Roberts Ferry Nut Company |
Rolling Hills Nut Company |
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Rotteveel Orchards |
RPAC |
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Schaad Family Almonds |
Select Harvest USA |
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Sierra Valley Almonds |
Silver Creek Almond Co. |
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Sorting Solutions |
South Valley Almond Company |
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Spycher Brothers |
Stewart & Jasper Marketing |
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Sun Valley Nut |
SunnyGem |
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Sunrise Almonds |
Supreme Almonds of California |
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Tejon Ranch Company |
Travaille & Phippen |
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Treehouse California Almonds |
Twin Commodities |
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Valley Almond Huller |
Valley Harvest Nut Co. |
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Vanella Farms |
Vetsch Farms of California |
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Warda Farms |
Waterford Nut Company |
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Western Nut Company |
Zinke Orchards |