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Strolling through the farmer’s market last weekend and seeing all the plump and juicy apricots, which are now in season, brought back many childhood memories. Back when Santa Clara Valley was filled with fresh fruits and not silicon chips, orange, cherry, pomegranate and apricot trees were among my favorites.  I can remember winding my green bike with the cool Harley handle bars through the trees of the local apricot orchard.  I would pop wheelies, jump dirt mounds and skid to stops, throwing dust and dirt in every direction.  Even though it was technically trespassing, I have to admit, like in the Garden of Eden, the temptation was too much and I would periodically reach up and pick a fruit to whet my appetite.

In Latin, the word ‘apricot’ means precious and probably got the name as it is one of the earlier fruits to ripen in the summer.  It’s a relative of the peach and has been around for 4,000 years.  It originally came from China and made its way through the Persian empire to the Mediterranean where a majority of the apricots of the world are grown today.

While the U.S. is still in the top 10 apricot producing countries in the world (ranked 9th), in the past 10 years production has not grown as fast as places like Turkey and Iran. Our import of apricots has quadrupled since the 1980’s, while domestic production has only grown about 3%.  California grows about 94% of the apricots in the U.S. (Source: Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)), so I relish the season when you can get them locally grown.

Even my Aunt Carolyn, who lives in the agricultural heart of Central California, and who dries her own apricots every year and makes the most wonderful candied apricots, has been reducing her annual production as crops shrink to give way to track homes, parking lots and mega malls. (It’s also a major project to tackle every year.)  Understanding our agricultural roots helps us connect with our food. What does that mean?  I know we don’t really connect with the processed, neatly packaged burger we buy from our local fast food joint; however, we do connect with knowing the fruit you are consuming was just picked from the tree that morning.

I came across the following video, which helped me re-connect with my apricot past.  It’s about the long gone dried apricot production in the Silicon Valley.  I can remember exiting off highway 280 going north, just across from where Apple Corporation is today, and seeing acres of flats of apricots slowly drying in the summer sun.

The ability to sink your teeth into a just picked piece of fruit is one of life’s best pleasures.  To inhale the sweet aroma just before taking a bite and giggling as the juices run down your chin….there is nothing better!  So I relish the ability to stop by the local fruit stands or farmer’s markets to see what’s fresh.

The season for apricots in the U.S. is from late-May to August.  It seems to me that the early apricots this year were a bit tart but they seem to have sweetened up nicely as the season has progressed.  In selecting apricots, you want to buy them slightly firm to slightly soft.  Slightly soft means they are ready to eat.  Over-ripe apricots are mushy but are still good for making sauces, jams or baked goods.  They should be yellow/orange to deep orange in color.  A red tinge may also be present.

Let slightly firm apricots ripen on the counter.  You can speed up the processing by putting them in a paper bag.  You can hasten the process even more by putting them with an apple to further increase climacteric ethylene respiration (the scientific way of saying to increase the vapor that causes fruit to ripen).  Once ripe, move them to the refrigerator.

To eat, cut around the seem and twist.  The pit will fall out easily.  Apricots are an excellent source of beta-carotene and one serving of fresh apricot (1 cup/155 g) has only 74 calories and provides 60% of the daily requirements of vitamin A and 26% of vitamin C.  (See apricot nutrition facts.)  If you can’t eat them fresh, dried apricots are a great way to go.

So the next time you think things are the pits, when it comes to this precious stone fruit, that’s a good thing!

SmartShopit Price Guide – Apricots Fresh/Raw

Smart Buy Range  – $1.75 – $2.00 lb.

Average Price – $2.99 lb.

High Price – $4.00 lb

SmartShopit Price Guide – Apricots Fresh/Raw

Smart Buy Range  – $1.75 – $2.00 lb.

Average Price – $2.99 lb.

High Price – $4.00 lb

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Filed under: Fruits & Vegetables