The Secret In the Nectarine

   I was slightly bored this morning, because Colten, Dustin, and Kenyon were gone. So when I shared a nectarine with Mom I decided to save the pit to see what was inside.
   After finishing my nectarine I opened the pit. Once I seen what was in the pit I was astounded! It looked like an almond! I was curious and little mystified; as anyone else would be to find an almond in their nectarine.
   I looked up almond in the dictionary. This is what it said: The edible, nut like kernel of the small, dry, peach like fruit of a prunus tree that grows in warm regions.
   When I looked up nectarine I read aloud: A naturally mutated variety (Prunus persica var. nectarina) of peach, having smooth skin without down.
   Amazing! I thought to myself.
   I was excited and read my discovery to Mom.
   Still suspicious of the little, nut like seed I nibbled at one corner of it. It was softer than an almond and tasted kind of like the hazelnuts we have growing in the woods, but I ate the whole thing.
   Later, when I decided to write on here about my discovery Mom said we should probably research some more about it online first.
   When we did I found out the seed of the nectarine is actually called a bitter almond. It is not our normal almond and is dangerous if you eat too much.
   The Almond is actually a tree native to the Middle East and south Asia. The sweet almonds that we know of and enjoy eating are the seeds of this tree. They are called drupes and not nuts.
   The nectarine's bitter almond is not useless, though. Bitter almonds have a acid called hydrocyanic
acid in them. After the hydrocyanic acid is removed their oil is used in extracts.
   The bitter almond might not have been a secret to many who have already known about it, but it was a secret to me and now I've uncovered that secret myself. ~ Emily