Dreaming of Apricots

Metus dictum at tempor commodo

After last summer’s splendid apricot season, I settled down to update my For the Love of Apricots cookbook and produce the 5th Anniversary Edition. In addition to anticipating arrival of the new books, it was a long wait for the 2023 apricot season through the history-making winter and the wet, cold spring that followed. The new cookbooks arrived in April and summer weather, at the end of June — just in time for the Blenheim apricot harvest.

Over the past few weeks, local orchardists have been sending out news letters asking apricot lovers to be patient due to the slow ripening of the fruit and lower yields expected this year. Finally, the wait is over and it is time to pick or buy the best-tasting apricots in California and get down to jam making, pie baking, and enjoying seasonal recipes like apricot salsa and sangria. Of course, sun-drying and also freezing some of this year’s fresh apricot crop are important methods to preserve them so we can enjoy our favorite fruit through all the seasons ahead!