Apricots

Apricots are among the fruits most damaged by early picking, because they soften after harvest but they do not get sweeter. Ours come off the tree when they give slightly to a thumb and pull away easily, which means a short season and a fruit that should be eaten within a few days. Handle them gently; the skin bruises where a peach would only dent. Sold fresh through local Alabama delivery, farm pickup, and our farmers-market stand.

• Grown in: Lineville, Alabama (no synthetic pesticides)
• Freshness: Harvested at peak and sold fresh
• Availability: Seasonal - local Alabama delivery & pickup
• Storage: Refrigerate and enjoy fresh
• Why it's good: Nutrient-dense and picked at peak freshness

• Storage: Room temperature until they give to a thumb, then refrigerated in a single layer
• Shelf life: 2 to 3 days once ripe - among the shortest windows of any stone fruit
• Washing: Wash right before eating, never before storing. Wet apricot skin spoils where a dry one keeps.
• Using: Eat them out of hand while they are perfect. Anything left goes to jam, a galette or halved and roasted - heat concentrates what a slightly past-peak apricot has left.

Will they get sweeter on my counter?
No. Apricots soften after picking but they do not gain sugar - whatever sweetness they have was made on the tree. That is why a hard supermarket apricot never comes good, and why ours are picked ripe and sold fast.

Why do they bruise so easily?
The skin is thin and the flesh sits right against it, so pressure marks it where a peach would only dent. Keep them in one layer and do not stack anything on top.

Can I freeze them?
Yes, and it is the best use for a surplus. Halve, pit, and freeze cut-side up on a tray, then bag them. They collapse on thawing, so plan on cooking rather than eating them raw.