Apricots
Cooking Tips
- Toss almonds with some fresh or dried apricots and feta. Sprinkle atop a spinach salad with a citrus vinaigrette.
- Apricot preserves are incredibly versatile—equally delicious on a muffin or a pork tenderloin.
- Puree, spread on a nonstick pan and dry in the sun or in a low temperature oven for easy homemade fruit leather. When dry, cut to desired size and wrap each slice in waxed paper for tossing in lunchboxes. Or dust with cornstarch, roll up and store in an airtight container.
- Make a farmer a deal on bruised or slightly overripe apricots to make into sauces, fruit leather, baked goods, or to bake with savory meats. Just cut out the blemishes, and be sure there are no rotting ones buried in the box.
Details
There are a few dozen varieties of apricot grown in the U.S., compared to over 2,000 in its home country of China. Because the fruit is prone to a variety of pests and diseases, organic growers have come up with creative nontoxic ways to attempt to control the problems, such as introducing other insects to prey on pests, or spraying with elemental sulfur to combat certain diseases, among others.
You may see apricots show up in May and June, but these early picked fruits tend to be tart or lack flavor, and they don’t get sweeter as they ripen off the tree. In fact, dried apricots will have better flavor than early apricots since they’ll have been picked and dried at peak freshness. All in all, it’s worth the wait for tree ripened apricots in July and August. Look for apricots that are unblemished, a deep orange or yellow/orange color, quite fragrant, and in that narrow window between slightly soft but not mushy.
Nutrition: Apricots are a great source of vitamins A and C, plus potassium and dietary fiber. When ripe, they are almost 10 percent sugar.
Related Stories
More Stories With Apricots
Edible in your mailbox
