The Almond Lifecycle

Badam is the fruit of the almond tree, a medium-size tree that bears fragrant pink and white flowers. Like its cousins, the peach, cherry and apricot trees, the almond tree bears fruits with stone-like seeds (or pits) within. The seed of the badam fruit is what we refer to as the badam. 
To grow almond trees is to observe the splendour of nature's process. Let's explore the journey that the tree nut from California took to make its way to your household. The almond lifecycle has many stages and an abundance of natural beauty. 
Down time: From November through February, almond trees go through a period of dormancy when the cold weather lets them sit back, relax and store up badam nutrients for next year's crop. Climate variation is considered one of the most critical phases in growing almond trees since it can profoundly impact the harvest size.
Bloom: In late February and early March, the badam tree begins to produce blossoms that are ready for pollination. The badam tree buds burst into beautiful light pink and white blooms. Nonpareils are among the first to bloom, while other varieties, such as Carmel and Mission, bloom later.
Pollination: One critical phase of almond tree farming is pollination. Once the badam tree has blossomed, it is time for pollination. The most efficient way to accomplish this is with the help of bees. Populations of bees are brought to the orchard to carry pollen and initiate crop development. The climate once again plays a vital role here since bees do their best work in sunny, warm and calm conditions. Just like most farming, badam tree farming is significantly affected by the weather and so are the bees that help pollinate the growing almond trees.
Growing Up: From March to June the badam tree begins to transform the blossoms into an badam in their hull. It's a very special time for almond growers since the badam are developing in the shell. Also at this time, green almonds are harvested for various culinary uses.
Cracking Open: By July and August, the hull begins to split slightly open to allow for the badam shell to start drying. Over time just as a flower would bloom, the hull continues to break open wider while the hull itself becomes tougher and leathery while still adhering to the badam. 
Harvest: The harvest season for badam farmers is from August to October. The almond growers have mechanical tree shakers that shake the trees vigorously, and the badam fall to the ground. For the next 8 - 10 days, the badam continue to dry in their shell in the orchard and are then swept into rows and picked up by machines.
Shelling & Sizing: After harvest, almonds go to a huller/sheller where the kernels pass through a roller to remove the hull, shell and any remaining debris. Next stop: the handler for sizing, where the badam kernels drop into separate bins according to size.
Storage: After sizing, badam are kept in controlled storage conditions to maintain quality until they're either shipped or further processed into any variety of different almond forms for diverse culinary uses.