04/27/2026
It’s sour plum and fresh almond season! This sweet season lasts only a few weeks so get yourself to your nearest good market now to buy some 🌿
Recipe and video from
Green dressing:
Ingredients
• 1 large handful fresh parsley
• Small sprinkle fresh dill (optional)
• 1–2 green onions (white + green parts)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup cream cheese or cottage cheese OR an avocado
• 1–2 tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar)
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Water or milk (to thin)
Olive Oil (few tbsps)
Salad:
Green Almonds sliced
Green plums
Watermelon radishes
Pink radishes
Purple cabbage or Endives
1/2 pear
Lemon slivers
Arugula (not pictured but would be a great addition)
Chopped thai chili
Purple onions or shallots
Dressing for salad:
Olive oil
Salt
Sumac
Lemon Juice
No other group of people enjoy sour food as much as the people of West Asia.
It’s green almond and green plum season that lasts only about three to four weeks at the beginning of spring.
Wild almonds first grew across regions that are now present-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan, while wild plums were gathered and later cultivated around the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains. Over time, both fruits eventually spread into West Asia, becoming a symbol of spring across the region and are commonly eaten in the Levant, Iraq, and the Arab Gulf countries.
During this short window, the fruits are still young and tart, often eaten raw with salt before they ripen into their sweeter forms.
This way of eating unripe foods is common across West Asia. Green garbanzo beans, raw pistachios while still soft, sour grapes, and many other seasonal foods are traditionally eaten young before full ripeness. This came about for a few reasons, crops were vulnerable to loss from harsh climates , and there was often food and water scarcity in certain areas, this in turn shaped the culinary tradition of embracing sour and sharp flavors.
So while the people of West Asia taught us how to make bread and preserve food, they also taught us to get ahead of the drought—because survival often depends on what you do before it comes.
