THE ALMOND TREE IN PROVENCE IS FLOWERING SEVERAL BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES ARE OFFERED TO YOU:
Maybe it is because the almond tree is the first fruit tree to flower at the end of the winter, when there is still frost in the morning, that the people from Provence are so attached to this tree.
From the Alpilles to the Ventoux, from the Luberon to the Comtat plain, from Sainte-Victoire to Marseille, the fragile pink and blue flowers explode in the transparency of the February skies.
THE ALMOND TREE, A TREE DEAR TO THE PEOPLE OF PROVENCE
The almond tree has been a long time favorite subject for painters, among them Edouard Manet, Yves Brayer, Vincent Van Gogh , Pierre Bonnard, Léo Lélée…
In Provence, its image is printed on Provencal cloths and almond figures in many provencal specialties: nougat, calissons and also orgeat syrup It is also one of the dry fruits appearing in the 13 Christmas desserts.
A conservatory grove of almond trees, located in Apt near the Moulin de Salignan, has even been created by the Luberon Park. It includes a national collection of more that forty varieties of almond trees.
TOWARD A RENAISSANCE OF THE CULTURE OF ALMONDS IN PROVENCE...
Since the 1956 frost, the number of almond trees has not stopped declining in Provence. Many initiatives exist for the almond tree to be more and more present in the landscapes of Provence.
Pierre and Philippe Sylvain, nougat makers in Saint-Didier near Carpentras, have planted a 35 ha. Almond grove and plan to add an additional 10 ha. To cover their nougat making needs.
On the Plateau de Valensole, the Jaubert family is the biggest independent producer of almonds in France. At the beginning of the 2000s, they planted 15000 trees on 75 hectares. Today, Terraroma produces 40 tons of almonds per year.
In the context of this program to relaunch almonds, the commune group Vallee des Baux-Alpilles just planted 250 trees at the foot of the citadel of Baux, on January 20 and 21, 2016, partnering with the Yves Rocher foundation.
The Paca agriculture chamber hopes to plant 1000 ha in 5 years in the whole area.
DID YOU KNOW?
There is an almond tree house in Saint-Remy-de-Provence which organizes many expositions on the theme of the almond tree and recuperates the most beautiful dead almond wood to make beautiful art.
