Last weekend, I spotted a young woman sweet-talking a crusty old farmer into letting her sample one of his sweet, juicy, golden fruits. She repaid his generosity by telling everyone else where they could find the best apricots in town.
A juicy apricot is a rare treat — this is one fruit you won't find in the grocery store in February, when only dried apricots are available. After a long winter of dried apricots, customers are flocking to Michigan farmers markets, where fresh apricots are making their first appearances.
Did you know?
- Apricots were first grown in China 4,000 years ago.
- Apricot means “precious” in Latin.
- Apricots are great sources of fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C.
Find it!
- Go to www.LocalDifference.org , and click on “Search Now” in the “Find a Farm” box. Then search our user-friendly database of farms, farmers markets and fruit stands by fruit, location, growing practices (e.g., certified organic), or any combination of the above. You'll be eating luscious apricots in no time!
- You can find 16 farms selling apricots cherries from Manistee to the Mackinac Bridge in the Michigan Land Use Institute's online guide to local farm foods, at www.LocalDifference.org .
- Get them quick! Farmers here say the apricot season will be short this year because it was so cool when the blossoms were ready to be pollinated this spring that the bees were staying inside their hives curled up with good books rather than doing their outside jobs. That means less fruit on the trees.
Try it!
- Substitute fresh apricots for peaches or nectarines in your favorite recipes.
- Stir chopped or sliced apricots and a handful of blueberries (they're in season, too!) into a bowl of vanilla yogurt for a healthy breakfast, snack or dessert.
- Grill them! Slice the apricots in half and remove pits. Thread them onto a skewer, brush them with a little honey and grill them until they are semi-soft. If it's raining outside, broil them, cut-side up, for a few minutes. Watch to make sure they don't burn!
- If you're feeling ambitious, or your anniversary's coming up, try this:
Marriage Pie
From Pie Everyday, by Pat Willard.
A single 9 inch pie crust (use your favorite recipe or use a store-bought crust)
Filling:
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh blackberries, washed and hulled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
11/2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
6 or 7 fresh apricots, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
Whipped cream or ice cream, if you're feeling decadent.
1. Prepare the crust (including baking), if you're making your own.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and flour. Add all of the blackberries except for a small handful and mash them a little. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice.
3. Sprinkle the confectioners' sugar over the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange the apricots over the sugar and pour the blackberry mixture over the apricots. Chill for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, sprinkle the reserved berries over the top of the filling.
If you like, substitute blueberries for blackberries, increasing the amount of lemon juice to 2 tablespoons. You can also substitute orange juice and a few curls of orange zest for the lemon juice, which will make the pie a little sweeter.
Taste the Local Difference is part of the Michigan Land Use Institute's Entrepreneurial Agriculture Project, which aims to grow jobs, save farmland, and build healthier communities with food that's thousands of miles fresher. Find more than 160 farms and fishers who sell fresh foods on their farms, in farmers markets, and to restaurants and stores at www.LocalDifference.org . TLD lead sponsors are Traverse City State Bank and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. 
