Branch of tree with green fruits. Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with candied sliced almonds seed, which is not a true nut. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed.
Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled. The almond tree prospers in a moderate Mediterranean climate with cool winter weather. California produces over half of the world’s almond supply. The young twigs are green at first, becoming purplish where exposed to sunlight, then gray in their second year. Almond grows best in Mediterranean climates with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.