Are they edible like normal almonds?

Yes. But some care must be taken in their preparation or curing. Best to read this article to get details. Scroll down to "toxicity".

https://www.phillyorchards.org/2023/11/17/plant-spotlight-hardy-almonds/

The other thing to keep in mind is the very early flowering time of almonds. Many years crops are lost to frost…

I’ve seen trees flower extremely early here and we rarely lose them to late frost.

Henry, thanks for asking. I might try some here.

Better any almonds than none!

Here are some that are hardy to zone 5: Almonds — Tagged "Growing Zone: 5"

Early bloom means January for Almond trees. Our Almond tree starts to bloom in January in California. Sounds too early for Ohio.

The squirrels eat ALL of them now before they are even ripe. Little bastards. I used to get a bushel off of one tree.

There are two separate but coincidentally related issues: actual vegetative hardiness, and ability to produce actual almonds based on the typical spring weather in a given area.

I'm trying a Nikita's pride:

https://raintreenursery.com/products/nikitas-pride-almond-tm-lovell

And for now, I'm hoping my mumes will pollinate it; although nobody says they will, nobody says they won't either. It's another Prunus...and one that actually forms a tiny almond-like pit. (I know because I've eaten them!) Before I had to cut down my grafted mumes for own root ones, they only produced fruit in about 1/3 to 1/2 of years, even here in a place relatively less prone to late spring freezes, by US east coast standards. My own root mumes will not be making many flowers for another couple years but that's fine because the Nikita's almond will be a fresh grafted whip.

Just as mumes and magnolias would bloom in January in California and March in say, North Carolina, the earliness isn't the problem per se. An almond doesn't _have_ to bloom in January to produce fruit. It just so happens that the climates that are generally mild and freeze-free enough to grow them, are also going to tend to be warm enough to have the trees blooming that early. (There are varietal differences, too, of course...I'm not saying every almond is vegetatively zone 6 hardy, some are)

For example this UK page says they normally bloom in March there. https://www.chrisbowers.co.uk/article/the-complete-guide-to-growing-almond-trees/

and adds that freezes at the time can affect them. Just as unexpected freezes can affect them in California, too, albeit in earlier months of winter.

https://www.theriverbanknews.com/news/freeze-drought-diminish-california-almond-yields/

Almond trees can grow in the same conditions as peaches. It is important to choose varieties that are suitable for your climate, especially considering the possibility of frost. For example, varieties like All-In-One Almond or Titan can be good choices for colder zones.

I ordered one tree through gardening express ! I chose a variety that is suitable for my climate, and the customer service team gave excellent care tips. They told me how to properly water and fertilize the tree to ensure it grows well.

If you have the opportunity, be sure to consult with local gardeners or nurseries - they can provide useful advice on specific varieties and growing conditions in your area.

That's a good point. Almonds are a valuable cash crop and if they were easy to crop anywhere in the US but California (where, it's worth a reminder, they need summer irrigation in spite of coming from 'Mediterranean' climates) we'd know about it. In parts of the Southeast where they do grow peaches though, I suspect a reason almonds aren't a commercial crop is because the summer weather is too wet and the nuts - which of course are the seeds of a fruit - would rot.

I will say I am surprised almonds aren't grown commercially in western Oregon, but I suppose hazelnuts may be more valuable, and just enough less sensitive to spring freezes to make a difference on a commercial scale. Even though the PNW is less prone to spring freezes than England. (one of the few ways its climate is superior. Somewhere I kept an excellent and well researched essay by Rob Wagner of Seattle on that topic...)

Lastly there's pressure by environmentalists for CA growers to move to pistachios, which are less vegetatively hardy than almonds, but need less water. Maybe in 50 years almonds will become an Oregon crop.

And final BTW, I didn't mean to ignore GG's point that hardy almonds are often peach X almond hybrids, but I'm not sure that's true of every hardy almond and the Ukrainian ones are not advertised as such, they might still be backcrosses or whatnot. I am just going by "would the tree produce a nut that people would recognize as an almond". Even if it's a bit small. After all marcona almonds (100% dulcis) are considered the creme de la creme of almonds, and are smaller than most California cultivars.

And last note - if I ever plan to eat mine, I will need to get a barn cat for my property. The only years I could enjoy my delicious hazelnuts was when my neighbors had an outdoor cat. Now, the squirrels leave me a couple nuts out of thousands, if I'm lucky. Alas, he got run over. I'm still wrestling with the ethics of that - they hurt song bird populations, too - although I'm sure some of them are as happy or happier than indoor cats. What I really want is another neighbor to have them!

IME, the late freeze phenomenon is more an inland, continental climate thing, than an eastern thing. So there are a fair number of peaches grown here, and there usually is an apricot crop.

Unfrozen water is really, really good at moderating temperatures. The Hudson River isn't bad, and Lake Erie is a good bit larger.

Figs in Michigan.

I only just now had time to click on the link GG provided. That's an amazingly pragmatic essay, even mentioning the xenia effect. What I find more compelling is something that I hadn't known or really thought about before: that 'hardy almond' hybrids might actually have a little more amygdalin that sweet almonds. That would be a good thing in my opinion - it would give them more taste! Even since stumbling upon a bitter marcona years ago, I've been captivated by the taste. Just don't eat too many!