16th February: National Almond Day

On February 16th each year, National Almond Day recognizes the versatile and healthful almond. Whether you are eating them by themselves, using almond milk, pasta, flour, butter, oil or meal, almonds offer a delicious flavor along with many health benefits. Almonds are one of the most heart-healthy foods on the market, packed with vitamin E, magnesium, and fiber. It’s generally believed and agreed by historians (and food historians in particular) that almonds were one of the earliest cultivated foods by mankind. Almonds are mentioned as far back in history as the Bible! Although their first place of origin is debated, almonds were thought to have first been cultivated in China and Central Asia. Almonds eventually made their journey to the United States in the mid-1700s. Historians believe they made their appearance on the trade ship brought to the US from Spain by the Franciscan Padres. The trees died out in the United States quite quickly as the soil and cultivation knowledge to keep the trees alive was inadequate. It was not until the 1800’s that almond trees were successfully grown and harvested in the States. By the end of the 1800s, the Sacramento and San Joaquin areas of California became the United State’s biggest almond producers.