Dear Sam, .....my husband says I'd better explain bitter almond a little better than I have.... [interfering again!] ;) ... and they aren't needed for Californian papershells - some growers just prefer to have a cross pollinator [not necessarily the bitter almond] regularly planted through a crop. The place our bees go on I think it is every seventh row - but as he doesn't sell to the oil trade, he only has one row planted of bitter almonds on his property [in a small block]. About 20-30 trees.
Almond, apricot, peach, and plum [then nectarine etc too] are all members of the species 'Prunus' and part of the rose family of plants. The almond, Prunus dulcis, consists of two varieties, the sweet and the bitter. The almond seed is crushed to squeeze out almond oil [especially the bitter variety] which is used in toiletries, flavourings and for medicinal purposes. Almond essence may or may not contain some bitter almond extract. Almond macaroons [a culinary delight made from sugar, egg whites and almond flavouring] are quite insipid unless they contain the stronger flavour from bitter almonds. A very naughty trick to play on a persistent self-helping visiting annoyance [perhaps even a good friend ;) ] is to leave a dish of bitter almonds around. They help themselves - uninvited - and BINGO - you've got 'em ! Heh, heh, heh! They don't know what to do with a mouthful of almond!!! Stolen delights do not always taste sweeter [esp. at my place...!] Actually, if you know what you are eating - it's not too bad - but only one or two at a time. Judith. > It's my understanding that all seeds, except the hybrid citrus fruits we eat, > contain laetrile. Apple seeds are one of the best common sources. > The term "bitter almond" is a description of the smell of > concentrated cyanide. I don't know of a nut called bitter almond, though the > term would fit some people I know. There is a small amount of cyanide > in such things as peach pits, which taste like bitter almond. > > Sam -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: silver-list-requ...@eskimo.com -or- silver-digest-requ...@eskimo.com with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <mdev...@eskimo.com>
