Green Almonds

These almonds are only available in October and November in Australia. When the almond kernels are not fully formed, they have a very soft paper-thin skin, which contains a jelly-like substance. Essentially they are immature almonds. When they are blanched, the rather tart jelly becomes sweet, almost resembling the flesh of a grape. They have to be removed from their fuzzy green outer shell. By December the almonds become more solid; they are crisp and tender and are also referred to as green almonds. By January and February the almonds are much firmer and they are then dried, with the outer shells removed — these are the almonds we are more familiar with.