Almond Millionaires

By Nicola Cleasby

This time next year, you’ll be almond millionaires.

Well, maybe he never actually said those words, but I distinctly remember Antonio, the previous owner of our farm, standing besides us, arms out flung as he pointed out the boundaries and explained just how much we were going to earn from the land. I’m sure some amazingly large number was mentioned, but perhaps that was a combination of wishful thinking, a complete lack of even basic Spanish, and the fact that he was talking pesetas, where even the cost of a cup of coffee reached triple figures.

It probably wouldn’t have made a difference – we were already in love with the place, but as we stood admiring the views of the snow covered Sierra Nevada Mountains to the north and the Mediterranean to the south, the idea of having all this and making money out of it, seemed almost too good to be true.

Picking almonds can be fun and excellent for relieving stress. For those who have never tried it, the basic idea is you put a net down under the tree and then you hit it with a big stick until all the nuts fall down. As an added bonus, if the tree is really big, then you actually get to climb it before you hit it.

So, our first September in Spain was spent picking almonds. We went about it in a very relaxed sort of manner – we’d work for an hour or so, and then we’d retreat under the shade of one of the huge fig trees. We’d drink a jug of costa, the strong local wine, and occasionally reach up to pluck a ripe fig from the branches above.

Heaven.

All least it was until it came to selling the results of our labours. We had literally tons of almonds and all we got in return was peanuts.

That was eight years ago, and since then things have gone steadily downhill. Most of the Spanish who still farm around here are old. They use their pensions to subsidise the only way of life they have ever known, but this year the almond price was so low that many have not bothered with their harvest.

Almonds have been grown in this area for centuries. However, increasing competition from almond growers in California, where modern farming methods have increased production and standards way beyond what we can achieve, has meant that almond farming is no longer economically viable here, and a way of life will soon come to an end.

Maybe it’s time to go into the firewood business.

This time next year…

Nicola Cleasby grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain. She shares the farm with a husband, three dogs, four cats, a horse, two goats and a handful of chickens. It is a perfect place to indulge her two great passions, reading and writing. Recently published (as Nina Croft) her new book is entitled ‘Tiger of Talmare’ http://www.ninacroft.com/index.html