Picking Almonds on the Weekend

Going to the village was an activity that I had been neglecting for a while. Until the end of last week!

Crossing the mountains equipped with pine and olive trees was not difficult thanks to the paved road and vehicle. However, I can say that the village is located on the top of a difficult mountain, which is rocky and sloped.

In the village, where all livelihoods are pine, olive trees and livestock, there are population changes that do not exceed the number of fingers of one hand. Sometimes a few people increase, sometimes a few people decrease.

From this point of view, only the roofs of the houses and the minaret of the mosque can be seen. Red tile roofs!

There is a certain distance between any house in the village and the other house. In this respect, it is almost impossible for anyone to be disturbed by each other. Unless you're an abusive neighbor!

The reason I was in the village last weekend was to collect fresh almonds. They are usually still fresh in mid-April and then start to harden. This year, when the winter season insisted on not going, spring was delayed a few months.

Almonds is in the garden a few kilometers from the village and there is no driveway. After arriving in the village, it has become an activity that can be walked and turned into a laborious task, but it is worth it for fresh almonds! We go higher than the village. The rocky and bushy area increases as you walk.

Olive, pine and fig tree in the same frame!

A wooden apparatus resembling a table under these fig trees is used to lay the figs collected during the fig season and dry them with the help of sun and wind.

We pass through the stream that divides the mountain in half. The stream water flows much less than normal compared to this season of the year. The reason for this may be the insufficient amount of water accumulated as a result of insufficient rain in April.

There were visual surprises that the walk provided us. For example, tulips appearing in this place where there is limited soil in a stony area.

Another surprise was the only rose that bloomed on a self-grown rosewood in this place where the soil is more fertile and has a wet soil in the upper part of the stream we just passed. I did not expect to see such a rose on the mountain.

A little later, we encountered a bigger surprise. We were quite surprised by the two sofas placed opposite each other on a high place overlooking the land and under a large pine tree. A water tank to the left of the sofas indicates that someone is staying here, but there is no one in the middle. I couldn't get any closer as the garden was surrounded by a high barbed wire.

This is an old vineyard house in ruins and about to be demolished. Many years ago, people used to live in such vineyard houses at certain times of the year in order to collect the products grown in their gardens and to spend the night… but the house is no longer usable. Negligence must have caused it.

Again, we saw tulips and daisies in a stony field. Despite the weeds surrounding them, they managed to grow and survive. They give lessons to those who give up easily in the difficulties that life brings.

…and finally we reached the almond trees. We didn't know exactly if we would find fresh almonds as we didn't know exactly how the season was going, but there are still fresh almonds on the almond trees.

It was worth the effort! After a weekend spent in nature and in the village, the city life is back!

All images and content belong to me.

This is the west of Turkey, the Aegean Region!