Spring

Jeremiah 1:11, "I see the branch of an almond tree."

Signs of spring surround us in these warm, pleasant days of April. I enjoy seeing all the budding trees, the grass growing again, and the banks of daffodils planted along the highways. My mother and I had a few minutes of conversation today on our favorite season of the year. We came to the conclusion that neither of us like winter that much, so spring is such a relief from the cold weather and barren landscape.

One of my favorite signs of spring in the West Bank was always the budding of the almond trees, which are indigenous to the Middle East, still growing wild in parts of Jordan and Syria. In the Holy Land today, they are grown domestically, of course. Long before spring really arrives in the Middle East, the almond trees begin to bud (around February); they are, I believe, the first trees to bud in that area.

In March and April, green (or raw) almonds are available everywhere as one of the favorite Palestinian snacks. I've tried to include a picture here--if it goes through--of an unripe almond. Palestinians buy them from roadside stands, reminding me of produce stands on the Eastern Shore or peanut stands in Southern Virginia. With a large bowl of salt to dip them in, they take a green almond, bite right through the velvety outside fuzz, and dip the leftover half in the salt, before finishing off the almond.

I ate my share of green almonds, although I didn't have quite the same passion for them that my friends did. I mostly enjoyed the idea that it was a very welcome taste of spring!