It became clear, after our first glorious day visiting an almond farm and processing plant, that we had to make a book about almonds. Everything about almonds captivated us—their storied history; their complete reliance on bees for pollination; their fuzzy green hulls, soft in spring, but tough and weathered in fall.
What wasn’t so clear was whether other people would feel the same way. We found out quickly that we were not alone. Nearly every single person we have encountered—both strangers and long-time friends and family—had a universal reaction. “Almonds? You mean the nut?” When we answered, “Yes, the nut,” their immediate reply was, “I love almonds! I eat them every day!” There then came a steady litany of the daily habits of almond consumers. We repeatedly heard: “I eat seven to ten a day.” “I have almond milk with my cereal.” “I have almond milk in my smoothie.” “I have almond butter on my toast!” Almond lovers were everywhere.
We are indebted to many people for creating this book. A bouquet of thanks and blossoming almond branches goes to Jenny Barry, our project manager and extraordinary designer, muse, editor, and friend. Her wisdom and steady pace kept us pointing true north.
Bob Holmes shared his gifts with us once again, capturing in his photos the sublime in nature and in food. These pages sing with his expert eye. For their help with the food photography, special thanks go to assistant photographer Andrea Johnson, food stylist Kim Kissling, and prop stylist Carol Hacker.
Lynda Balslev’s recipes are the heart of this book; her ability to transform many of them from near and far into almond-centered ones—adding flavors, history, and cooking tips—will entice even the most timid of cooks into the kitchen.
We’re indebted to well-known chefs and food writers who contributed sidebars and made this book international: special thanks to Maureen Abood, Michael Anthony, Lynda Balslev, Georgeanne Brennan, Terrence Brennan, Gerard Craft, Janet Fletcher, Cheryl Forberg, Joyce Goldstein, Blake Hallanan, Pamela Sheldon Johns, Farina Wong Kingsley, Susana Trilling, and Suneeta Vaswani.
Janice Fuhrman helped shape the manuscript and deserves many thanks for meeting an impossible deadline. Carolyn Miller’s copyediting made everyone’s writing shine, and Madeleine Fentress offered helpful suggestions as well. We also thank Christina Bryant, Clare Fentress, and Sam Fentress for their help with the manuscript and for being thoughtful readers.
We’re equally grateful to Gibbs Smith and our editor, Madge Baird, who recognized that this cookbook had wide appeal.
The almond industry is full of special people, and we owe many of them deep thanks. To Ryon Paton and Bill Hooper at Trinitas Farms: thanks for driving us through the dusty back roads of Manteca and showing us amazing vistas of almond orchards. Scott Phippen, thank you for sharing a day with us and teaching us, from a farmer’s perspective, about almonds.
Bob Wilhelm has been invaluable; his long-standing place in agricultural marketing allowed us to meet many talented people in Manteca and Sacramento, including Brandon Souza and Ross Harvey. At Blue Diamond Growers, we are grateful to Cassandra Keyse, and at the Almond Board of California we have many people to thank for their support and for eagerly sharing research and information: Richard Waycott, Dave Phippen, Melissa Mautz, Jenny Konshak, and Jenny Heap.
We had expert advice that we want to acknowledge: thank you George Seay, Peb Jackson, Craig Wenning, Rich Stim, Eric Kittner, Ken Harrington, Jack Taylor, Ken Olsen, Stephen Koenig, and Elizabeth Wyckoff.
For steady friendship and encouragement, thank you to Derek and Justin Bryant; Paul, Jane, Sam, and Joseph Fentress; Anna Monticelli; Mary Chapman Webster; Marylen Mann; Lisa Queen; Joan DeMayo; Annie Presley Selanders, Christie Murphy; Polly Pollack. Most of all, thank you to our families, who provided daily sustenance of the best kind—their enduring love.
—Barbara Bryant and Betsy Fentress