From Jeff Cox

The apricot season is upon us—but don’t rush it. The finest-tasting apricots will arrive in the stores in mid-July. The first to appear in stores tend to be varieties bred for earliness, not flavor.

Apricots ripen on the tree—meaning that a fruit picked early will never sweeten up en route to the store or home on your kitchen counter. Instead of rushing the apricot season, think organic dried apricots from the natural or organic market. These have been picked at peak ripeness and have better apricot flavor than most early apricots. The dried fruit can be chopped and added to couscous or rice, reconstituted by simmering in water and pureed. Chefs know that apricot’s tangy richness can add zest to many dishes, like puddings and desserts. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to apricot preserves, mix well, strain, and use this syrup to glaze fruit tarts. But don’t leave out savory dishes. Apricots’ high malic acid content enlivens veal and lamb, chicken and duck. Stew fresh apricots or dried ones with braised lamb shanks.

When the good apricots are in season, make apricot preserves and find lots of ways to use them to brighten meals the rest of the year. I asked Prof. Steve Southwick at UC Davis, an apricot specialist, which varieties he thinks are best. He said, “I have many new apricots, not yet released, that are better tasting than any currently available. They will be coming along in the next few years. For the moment, you should try Royal Blenheim, Patterson, Goldbar, Goldstrike, and Rival.”

You can whiz fresh apricots in a blender and spread the mash on baking sheets to dry and make your own fruit leather. Dry the sheets in the sun, or in a low oven, until the mash turns leathery. Then carefully pull the leather off the sheet, dust it lightly with a little cornstarch, and roll it up and store it in a jar with a lid in a cool, dry place.

Apricots originated, like peaches, in China. Today there are over 2,000 varieties of apricots in that country. Like so many fruits and vegetables from that region, apricots were carried west along the ancient Silk Road, reaching Persia and the Middle East, then on to Europe, and finally across the Atlantic to the Americas. Today there are a few dozen varieties in commerce in the U.S., with Moorpark being the standard of quality along with Blenheim, aka Royal or Royal Blenheim. This latter can be recognized by the purplish-red dotting that appears on the pale yellow skin where the fruit has been exposed to the afternoon sun. The stone is free, but don’t be tempted to eat the apricot kernels inside them as many varieties contain an enzyme that produces poisonous prussic acid in the human digestive tract.

Apricots have an amazing ability to enhance and blend with other flavors, including many familiar fruits, especially citrus. Apricots and almonds are a natural match. Use the juice or puree to make fascinating sauces with liqueurs, especially citrusy ones like Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Flame your pork chop with brandy exalted with apricot juice.
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Organic Apricot Preserves Recipe

Wait until the height of the apricot season, around mid-July, and when you find the most delicious apricots, make the preserves. It’s an out-of-this-world confection that’s perfect to spread on muffins, to glaze a ham, to use in a fruit tart, or to add a sweet tang to a pork tenderloin.

4 lbs. fresh organic apricots
5 cups sugar
8 8-ounce canning jars with tops and bands
Juice of two lemons

1. Wash and pit the apricots and slice them into coarse pieces.

2. Mix the pieces with the sugar in a large bowl and let the mixture stand for at least an hour, or better, overnight, covered, on the counter. This allows the juice to run and dissolve the sugar. Place a dinner plate in the fridge.

3. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir it frequently to prevent sticking. Be careful not to let it foam up and over the sides. Skim the light foamy material that will rise. Reduce heat to medium and cook until it looks like preserves, stirring frequently.

4. Boil the jars, lids, and bands in water to cover them. Take the plate from the fridge and spoon a bit of the preserves onto the plate to test consistency of the cooled preserves. When the consistency seems right, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the strained lemon juice, spoon the preserves into the jars, leaving ½-inch headroom, put on lids and bands and process according to the jar manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes eight 8-ounce jars.
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See also Jeff’s Eat A Peach (with Organic Peach Recipes)
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Jeff Cox is author of The Organic Cook’s Bible and The Organic Food Shopper’s Guide and lives in Sonoma County, California.
Image Credit: © Jason Smith | Dreamstime.com
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
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