Styria’s almonds withstand heat as harvest starts early

Styria’s almond harvest has begun about a month earlier than last year after a hot summer, while the crop itself remained undamaged by the heat, ORF reported.

Commercial almond growing is becoming increasingly important in Austria as an alternative crop in wine-growing climates. Michael Gerstl began cultivating almonds in 2017 and planted his first trees in Pöllau near Gleisdorf. He is considered one of Austria’s pioneers in almond farming.

Gerstl said the summer heat accelerated the almonds’ development but had little effect on the crop. He irrigated the trees in spring and made sure they had enough water during flowering, but supplies later ran out. The trees nevertheless produced a good harvest, he said.

Gerstl chose almond farming after taking over his parents’ operation and looking for a specialised niche. Almonds are stone fruits closely related to peaches and apricots, and their kernels provide high-quality proteins and unsaturated fatty acids.

The farm’s only pest is the woodpecker, according to Gerstl. This summer, the birds also suffered from the drought and removed the watery kernels before they had ripened.

After harvesting, the almonds are dried. The outer fruit flesh is removed before the almonds are placed in a drying cabinet for about a day. This causes the almond inside to contract, creating space needed during cracking and reducing breakage. The almonds can then be cracked by machine or by hand and processed into a range of products.