Kataru's love and pursuit of Farming

Farming is not easy, not pretty, not wildly profitable. And I had no prior experience; then, why did I even get into it? I believe I felt a connection. Plus the challenge excited me - To be a successful farmer nowadays, one has to be equal parts entrepreneur and agronomist. As I dug into it, I also found farming to be fulfilling. That's how I branched into agriculture, as the Sanskrit aphorism "Vriksho Rakshati Rakshitaha" (Trees, when protected, protect you) took on a new meaning for me.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Millions of miniature white roses..

Botanically, Almonds are a member of Rosaceae (rose) family. So, calling an almond bloom a rose is accurate technically. Just like tiny roses, the flowers are beautiful and delicate.

Due to its early flowering the almond tree came to herald the arrival of spring. For this reason, the almond tree is considered auspicious in many cultures, symbolising hope and revival.

According to a Roman tradition, newlyweds are showered with almonds as a fertility charm. Speaking of fertility, almond trees are self-infertile and require cross fertilisation. This is why colonies of honeybees are brought over to almond orchards in bloom time (like now) to help with pollination.

Here are some pics of the bloom I took today:

Whitmore ranch (click on any pic for larger version):