Watch this video on how to prepare fresh apricots!
Apricot's shelf life
All plants are different when it comes to how they adapt to being on a shelf for long amounts of time. Most often struggle to keep a good taste when sitting out for long periods of time. So to improve fruit quality and keep them good for longer a lot of fruit are hybrids. Hybrids are two different fruits that have been crossbred for better taste and reliability.
In 1989 the first plumcot was made by Luther Burbank who was a botanist and would be known for his contributions to the plant modification industry. This plumcot was a new fruit made of two different fruits, the apricot and the plum. Having 50% of each fruit in it to improve shelf life and provide a longer season. Later the "modern master of interspecific fruit breeding", Floyd Zaiger made the pluot and the aprium. The pluot was 75% plum and 25% apricot, the aprium the opposite with 75% apricot and 25% plum. These new fruits improved taste and allowed for a longer season than a typical apricot.
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Picking out the best apricot
When it comes to properly storing apricots there are many different ways to store apricots and almost all are correct. If you are looking to ripen the fruit you should seal the apricot in a bag and leave it out for 1-3 days until ripe. Then you store the fruit in the refrigerator where the cold will slow down the ripening process. They should be good for around a week(each apricot is different and results will vary). Ripe apricots are normally a deep orange color with a firm but slightly soft texture. It should not be mushy but also not as hard as a rock.
When shopping for them they are in season normally around mid-spring to mid-summer. So from early May to late June is typically the best time for them; however, like mentioned above apricot hybrids have different shelf lives. Pluots are often in season from May to all the way to September.
What now?
After your perfect apricot has been picked you can then use them in recipes. Apricots are most commonly eaten dried as that concentrates the level of nutritents in the fruit. But, if you keep the fruit fresh then you could add it to pies and other pastry. Dessert is the most common place you will find these sweet fruit. Yogurt is also another good option to add your apricot slices to. When it comes to meals a common favorite is to pair the sweet fruit with pork. Of course these suggestions are all opinion based. Make sure to try out different combos to find one that you enjoy!
Kuru Kaysisi Tatlisi, a turkish dish with poached apricots and ricotta