Then & Now-A look at the rich history of apricots and California’s present day apricot varieties, usage and growing season

In the Beginning
Nearly 4000 years ago, a fruit belonging to the rose family was discovered on the mountain slopes of China.  Today, it’s generally accepted that the Chinese first cultivated this ancient fruit, the wild ancestor to the present day apricot. It is also believed that the Chinese considered the apricot to contain special fertility enhancing properties.

With the strong sensory appeal of apricots’ delicate, velvety skin and intensely sweet fragrance and flavor, apricot cuttings traveled across the Persian Empire to the Mediterranean where they flourished. Many varieties of the fruit differing in size, color and flavor are still grown with popular appeal throughout the world today.



The Start of California’s Apricot History
In the 18th century, Spanish explorers introduced apricots to the New World.  California inherited the golden blush fruit planted in the gardens of Spanish missions. In 1792, the first major production of California apricots was recorded.

By 1920, California proudly claimed a flourishing apricot industry located in the Santa Clara Valley, an area south of San Francisco also known for peaches, plums and cherries.  Only fifteen years later, 2,737 California apricot growers farmed a total of 18,631 acres in the valley alone.

After World War II, the valley once known for fruit farming was fast becoming an area known for a growing computer industry and the development of the  “Silicon Valley.”  Consequently by the end of the century, California’s apricot orchards had been relocated to the San Joaquin Valley where they are predominately found today.



An Ongoing Passion, California’s Role
as Apricot Leader
Today’s Apricot Industry
The apricot is one of California’s prized specialty crops.  In fact, California produces a remarkable 95+% of all the apricots grown in the United States.

There are over 300 growers producing apricots from orchards covering 17,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley with the leading production area being Stanislaus County.

Varieties
California apricot growers produce a number of apricot varieties.  The most dominant variety planted and produced in California today is the Patterson developed in 1969 by Fred W. Anderson.  A consistent producer and very versatile, the Patterson is used for canning, freezing, drying, concentrate and fresh shipment.

Season and Usage
Eagerly awaited as one of the first summer fruits, the apricot has a relatively short fresh season.  Depending on harvest conditions, consumers can generally find California apricots in the produce aisles beginning mid-May and continuing through early July.  Consumers desiring apricots’ sweetly tart flavor and healthy properties year-round can easily turn to apricot nectar, and canned, dried or frozen California apricots which are nutritionally comparable to their fresh counterparts.

A Focus on Tradition
California’s rich apricot heritage reflects the same passion growers possess today for the alluring apricot.  To keep the tradition alive, the Apricot Producers of California fight to strengthen and preserve the California apricot industry.  Three times larger in the 1920’s, the California apricot industry has been hit hard by factors such as the importation of foreign apricot products and the increase of consumer fruit choices in the marketplace. Although California is still a leader in the apricot industry, growers willingly face an uncertain future to continue producing the delicate and beloved apricot.



Looking for More Info?
If you’re looking for more technical industry information, please check our Apricot Industry section.  Or, if quick tidbits fit your needs, click on our Fast Facts section

Sources: Food Lover’s Companion, Sharon Tyler Herbst; New Foods for Healing, Selene Yeager and editors of Prevention Health Books; The Oxford Companion To Food, Alan Davidson.