There are quite a few varieties of apricots, but visually they are not much different. Differences may be in the size or color of the skin, but a ripe apricot is always an orange fruit with a uniform color and characteristic shape.
Apricot color can be:
- completely orange;
- completely yellow;
- orange or yellow with reddish areas.
The color of the skin does not affect the taste of these fruits. A ripe apricot should have a fleshy consistency, smooth and thin skin. There should be no wrinkles or depressions on it. In rare cases, on the shelves you can see varieties of apricots with a yellowish-green skin color. Such fruits will be ripe, but before purchasing them, you need to check with the seller about the nuances of the variety of these apricots.
How to choose apricots
- ripe apricot has an even color without any spots or dots (reddish or yellowish areas are allowed);
- The ripeness of an apricot can be judged by the presence of a characteristic aroma, which is noticeable even through the skin;
- the surface of the apricot should be completely dry without the slightest sign of moisture;
- the brighter the color of the apricot, the higher the level of its ripeness (exceptions are too bright fruits, in this case it is possible to use dyes or excessive amounts of chemicals);
- when pressing on the skin, the apricot should not be deformed, its surface should have sufficient elasticity;
- the surface of the apricot must be free of cracks and mechanical damage (such signs are distinguished by overripe fruits, apricots that were improperly stored or transported, and damage will shorten the shelf life and accelerate the rotting process);
- the surface of the apricot can be smooth or velvety (this nuance does not affect the ripeness of the fruit, but the variety plays a key role);
- in a ripe apricot, the pit separates from the pulp, remaining smooth;
- The aroma of a ripe apricot should be sweet without any foreign odors.
- brown spots and dents on the apricot indicate rotting of the fruit (the depressions indicate the beginning of rotting inside the fruit, and spots indicate their final unsuitability for food);
- green spots indicate the unripeness of the apricot (at home, the fruit can ripen, but its taste will be impaired to some extent, and the amount of juice will decrease);
- An apricot that is too hard will be unripe, and a soft one will be an overripe fruit;
- Apricots with numerous cracks, scratches or signs of damage by rodents are not worth buying (such fruits will spoil quickly, and those accidentally caught in the pulp, harmful substances may be harmful to health and digestion);
- It is not recommended to buy crushed apricots (such fruits will not only have impaired taste characteristics, but will also completely lack beneficial properties);
- if wrinkles appear on the surface of the apricot, then this nuance indicates that it has been stored for too long and, most likely, incorrectly (the pulp of such a fruit will not be juicy);
- the unripe apricot pit is difficult to separate from the pulp;
- if the apricot aroma contains foreign odors (mold, dampness, grass), then you should not buy them (such fruits were either stored incorrectly or have begun to deteriorate).
When selecting apricots, a careful visual assessment of the fruit must be carried out. They should be dry, brightly colored and free of signs of rotting or disease. In addition, you need to evaluate the aroma of the fruit and the density of the fruit.
What kind of apricots can you buy?:
Which apricots should you not buy?:
If after purchasing apricots it turns out that some fruits are not ripe, then they can be eaten in the form of compote. These fruits can be used for baking. They are not suitable for jam, because unripe fruits most often cause premature mold to appear, but they are ideal for preservation.
Every gardener knows how important it is to harvest crops in a timely manner. fruit trees, and especially apricots, because when they ripen, they quickly fall to the ground, and their thin skin bursts upon impact, as a result of which the fruit begins to quickly rot. As soon as gardeners make the decision to harvest, they immediately encounter the first difficulties. Most often, they do not know when to start harvesting and how to collect apricots from tall tree, because even from a stepladder or ladder they cannot reach the fruits from the upper branches.
Picking apricots from a tall tree has its own characteristics
Apricot harvest time
The fruits need to be harvested after they reach harvesting maturity: apricots must grow to a certain size and acquire the color characteristic of the variety, but the fruit pulp must remain firm. At the time of harvest maturity, the maximum amount of nutrients accumulates in the fruits. Harvesting and consumer maturity are not the same. Apricots are considered fully ripe only when their flesh becomes soft and juicy.
Harvest times may vary depending on the tasks at hand. Apricots with a light yellow color are selected for transportation, approximately 3 days before their consumer maturity.
Fruits intended for consumption or drying are harvested when they are fully ripe and contain the maximum amount of sugars and nutrients. Not overripe apricots with firm flesh are best suited for canning and storage.
Collection should be carried out in dry weather after the dew has disappeared. It is best to collect apricots in the morning from 10 to 11 o'clock and in the evening after 17 o'clock. The quality of fruits collected in cold or hot weather becomes worse: aroma, taste, weight are lost and they are poorly stored.
Harvesting time depends on the apricot variety
Harvesting from tall trees
To harvest from a tree of great height, it is not at all necessary to climb it, because there are many devices that make it easy and quick to pick fruits from the very top of the tree. The most effective is a fruit collector - a small container mounted on a stick and equipped with a device for detaching berries from the branches. The only drawback of these products is their narrow orientation. Devices intended for apricots cannot be used for picking other berries and fruits.
They work as follows:
- the fruit collector is placed under the apricot;
- plucking fruit from a branch special device, and it falls into the basket.
To make it convenient to remove apricots from the branches, it is important that the fruit collector meets the following criteria: it is convenient to use, does not injure, but firmly holds the fruit and reaches as high as possible.
Types of fruit collectors
There are several types of fruit pickers on sale, which allows each gardener to choose the best option for himself:
- "Tulip". The product is in the form of a glass with rounded petals made of durable plastic. A long handle is attached to the bottom. During harvesting, the apricot must fall into the glass, and to disconnect it from the branch, you need to turn the “Tulip” to one side. Thanks to the gripping function of this device, even very small apricots can be removed from the upper branches. This explains the popularity of the model.
- Fruit picker with pruning shears. A pruning shear is attached to the end of a long extendable pole, and on the other side there is a device for controlling it. Along the entire length of the pole there is a net into which the cut fruit falls.
In winter, everyone probably wants something tasty and healthy - fruits, berries and other things. Yes, not Chinese dummies, where there are a thousand times more chemicals than vitamins, but something relatively natural. We are now indulging in fresh apricots. And we don’t just indulge, but, one might say, gorge ourselves on them.
I won’t go into too much detail about the taste and benefits of apricots. We've probably tried everything. That they contain a lot of potassium, carotene, iodine, iron and a bunch of other vitamins, that apricots are very useful for vision, heart, for strengthening and healing the kidneys, that apricot kernels they even treat cancer , I won’t say. These are all well-known facts and you can read about them elsewhere. Today I will talk about something else, about how to use apricots absolutely waste-free, and how very cheaply you can eat these delicious and healthy fruits fresh all year round .
We have never stored apricots for the winter before. And now we have a lot of them. And this is where it all started. I went one day last summer in our city to the market for fruit. I bought some plums, some cherries... I go up to buy apricots.
It was already approaching evening, the market was closing soon, so prices were low. Some were selling apricots for 80 rubles, some for 70, some for 60... I approached one “person of Caucasian nationality” and asked what his price was. He is for me.
Take it! I'll give it for 50!
Let's! - I answer.
How old are you?
Kilogram.
Take two. I'll give it for 45.
Well, give me two.
He puts apricots, puts...
Listen, he says, maybe you can take three? Nice apricots! Sweet! Ripe! Take it!
Why am I three? No need!
Take it! I'll give you 40!
I thought and thought and agreed. They know how to persuade. It’s not in vain that they trade... And he’s right there.
Why three? Take the whole box, - he sees that my eyes are already widening out of my head with indignation, and right there. - Take it! Hey, it'll be 30! Just take it!
I think: “Why do I need a whole box? There are at least 8 kilograms there, maybe more. Although... a little for myself, a little for my parents, a little for my mother-in-law... So there’s no box.”
Oh, okay,” I say, “give me the box!”
I took the box and took out my wallet to pay. And he to me.
Maybe you can take another one? I just have the last one left. I would sell you both and go home. Take both boxes and then I’ll count them for 20 rubles.
I think: “Well, I have nothing to lose. Where there is one box, there is another.” In general, I bought two boxes of apricots from him at a completely ridiculous price - 20 rubles per kilogram. In stores at that time, apricots cost an average of 100 rubles.
I barely got these boxes to the car. I brought it home. And what to do with them? Well, we ate a little. You can't eat too much - they are very sweet. We left a little for gifts. But other?
We decided to freeze them. Like berries. Apricots have never been frozen before. Therefore, they doubted: wouldn’t they turn into a mess after freezing? Not all fruits and berries freeze successfully. But there is nowhere to go. Don’t throw it away, since I fell for it and bought two boxes for free.
We washed the apricots, cut them in half, took out the pits and put them in these boxes.
Then they placed them in containers with other berries and fruits and into the freezer.
Our freezer is large and roomy. I highly recommend this freezer. Here is a review about her .
After freezing, the apricots changed their taste slightly. But still delicious. We were afraid that things would get worse. But no, it’s possible to eat, quite even. In winter, when you can’t buy good fruits and berries, it’s so easy to eat apricots like these. And they don’t become limp when you defrost them, they’re whole, more or less plump. Now we have fresh apricots all the time. As we wanted, we took it out and ate it.
You can also make jam from apricots. You can also dry them. We also dried some of the apricots - here on such a dryer for vegetables and fruits .
From two boxes of apricots we got a whole bag of pits. They are also very useful. Especially due to vitamin B17. But eating in moderation is recommended , several pieces a day. That's what we do. Almost all the bones have already been eaten.
Regarding rumors about the terrible hydrocyanic acid, which is contained in apricot kernels and can poison you. Yes, they have it, and you shouldn’t forget about it. But to get poisoned, you need to eat at least 100 grains at a time. And from 5 – 10 pieces you will definitely not get sick, you will only benefit. By the way, hydrocyanic acid is found in apple seeds and even almonds. But you are not afraid of getting poisoned with almonds.
Not long ago I saw such bones in "Ashane" . A kilogram of peeled ones costs more than 400 rubles! Yes, I paid less for two boxes of apricots and got the pits for free!
Of course, everyone knows such a fruit as apricot. It's round orange color fruits with velvety skin that grow on trees. Apricot can be found in southern countries and in the south of our country. This fruit is sensitive to sunlight and absolutely undemanding to the soil.
The most delicious are considered to be Armenian apricots grown in the South Caucasus and also in its foothills. This fruit, which has absorbed all the energy of the hot sun, can rightfully be considered the most useful. The homeland of apricot, along with Central Asia and China, Armenia can also be considered. Based on apricot kernels found during excavations, scientists found that this fruit has been growing here for more than 3,000 years. Let's take a closer look at the most popular variety apricot Shalah, how to care for it and what are its beneficial properties.
Description of apricot
Gardeners call this fruit of the Shalah variety (its other name is Yerevan) universal. The tree is vigorous, can reach 5-6 meters in height, the fruits are early or medium ripening. Fruiting in seedlings begins in the fourth year of life and lasts from 14 to 30 days.
The tree is quite capricious, tender, and afraid of severe frosts. Among all Armenian apricots (and there are about 27 of them), Yerevan is rated as the most delicious. Eat the fruit in fresh, after conservation. They also do dried apricots: apricots and dried apricots. In Azerbaijan and Georgia, these fruits are used in canning production.
Places of growth
Shalah was especially popular in Yerevan. But within 10 years it spread throughout the territory different countries Asia. It was brought to Crimea to the Nikitinsky Botanical Garden before the 17th year of the last century. In the south of Russia, this variety of Armenian apricots appeared in the 30s.
Bloom
The tree of this apricot variety can bear fruit and bloom in the early and middle stages. The flowering time is directly affected by climate:
- in the southern climatic zones this occurs in early June;
- in colder ones - in July.
The apricot flower is large - 2.8 cm, tinged white Pink colour, with a pleasant honey aroma, the petals are slightly curved and have a rounded shape.
Fruit
The fruits of these Armenian apricots are valued for their excellent taste and fairly large size (at least 90 g). They have sweet, aromatic pulp and small bone inside. The apricot is also beautiful in appearance: creamy skin of the fruit with a raspberry blush on the sides.
Advantages
Advantages include average frost resistance, productivity, resistance to diseases and pests. In addition, this variety is transportable. This allows it to be stored in refrigerators or specially designed rooms. This variety is also good for planting by cuttings, as well as for grafting onto other trees, for example or peach.
Ripening period of Armenian apricots
The ripening of apricots directly depends on climatic conditions and from the variety. In the south of Russia, as in Armenia, fruiting begins in late May and early June. In the regions of the central Black Earth Region, ripening will begin at the end of July-August.
It is known that apricot fruit extract is included in many medicines from heart disease. The Greeks call this fruit the Armenian plum, and the Italians call it the Armenian apple.
Apricot in Armenia is one of the symbols national culture. At the annual film festival in Yerevan, the winners are awarded the Golden Apricot. The most popular Armenian musical instrument is called duduk. Currently it is very popular in Western countries. In Armenian, this instrument is called tsiranopokh, which translates as “apricot wood pipe.”
Manufacturers musical instruments They tried to make a pipe from pear, plum and apple trees, but an instrument with a special velvety voice is obtained only from Armenian apricot. Shvi and zurna - musical wind instruments - are made from the same wood.
How to eat Armenian apricots correctly
Apricots contain vitamins A, B and C. The fruit is rich in iodine, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. The fruits contain acids, fiber, and tannins. Let's look at how to eat Armenian apricots correctly in order to bring maximum benefit to the body. It is worth considering that:
- Apricots contain a large number of potassium, which normalizes arterial pressure, has a beneficial effect on blood vessels, rids the body of unnecessary fluid and, most importantly, strengthens the muscles of the heart. People with cardiovascular diseases should eat apricots or dried apricots daily, especially after a heart attack.
- The presence of carotene has a positive effect on the skin and vision, and improves immunity. It is enough to consume up to 300 g of these fruits per day to get the daily requirement of vitamin A.
- Apricots contain more iron than apples. For people with anemia, they are simply necessary in the diet. When consumed regularly, fruits maintain hemoglobin levels and saturate cells with oxygen.
- The content of magnesium and phosphorus in apricots normalizes metabolism. Magnesium is able to restore nerve cells, and phosphorus improves memory.
- Nutritionists talk about the benefits of apricots for digestion. Fruits maintain acidity gastric juice fine. Fiber has a beneficial effect on food digestion, normalizes stool, and relieves bloating.
- Sweet varieties of apricots contain iodine, which is very useful for the thyroid gland, as well as for increasing intelligence.
- Calcium found in apricots makes bones and teeth stronger and improves blood clotting.
- Pectin contained in fruits helps remove waste and toxins from the body.
