Produce

Fresh Apricots

Fresh apricot season runs only about six to eight weeks in most US growing regions, shorter than peach or plum season, which is a big part of why dried apricots show up in far more year-round recipes than the fresh fruit does.

A hard apricot picked slightly underripe (common with commercially shipped fruit) does soften somewhat on the counter, though apricots are less forgiving of an early pick than a peach — one harvested too green often stays disappointingly bland and mealy no matter how long it sits out.

Their delicate, velvety skin and soft flesh make them more perishable than a firmer stone fruit like a plum, spoiling within just a few days once fully ripe.

Apricot orchards require a specific climate balance that's genuinely difficult to satisfy — cold enough winters to trigger proper dormancy, but not so cold or unpredictable that a late frost kills the delicate early spring blossoms, which is part of why commercial apricot growing is concentrated in a relatively small number of US regions.

Dried apricots, unlike a fresh apricot's pale orange color, are often treated with sulfur dioxide during processing specifically to preserve that bright color and prevent browning, and unsulfured dried apricots, left to darken naturally, carry a noticeably different, deeper flavor and appearance.

Turkey is the world's largest apricot producer by a wide margin, and the majority of dried apricots sold internationally, including in the US, actually originate from Turkish orchards rather than domestic American production.

Apricot kernels, the seed found inside the pit, contain compounds that can convert into cyanide in the body and are genuinely toxic in more than very small quantities, which is why apricot kernels sold as a health food or flavoring ingredient carry real safety warnings distinct from the safe, edible flesh of the fruit itself.

A classic French tarte aux abricots, halved fresh apricots arranged in overlapping rows atop a simple pastry base and baked until caramelized, is a traditional summer dessert that takes advantage of the fruit's short season and its flesh holding its shape reasonably well under moderate baking heat.

Apricot jam is a common glaze brushed over a fruit tart or a cake, prized for its relatively neutral, translucent color and mild sweetness, which lets it add a glossy shine and light apricot flavor without visually competing with the other fruits arranged underneath it.

Fresh apricot season in most of the US runs quite short, typically just six to eight weeks in early to mid-summer, considerably briefer than a longer-season stone fruit like peaches, which is part of why fresh apricots often command a comparatively higher price and why so much of the historical crop was preserved by drying or canning rather than sold fresh.

California grows the large majority of the fresh apricot crop sold in the US, a concentration tied to the specific climate balance the fruit needs, and it's part of why fresh apricots tend to have a shorter, more regionally limited retail window than a more widely grown stone fruit like peaches.