Selecting

The apricot is a stone fruit, which also includes plums, peaches, nectarines, cherries and almonds. When selecting apricots, look for golden yellow color, plumpness and firmness. When ripe, apricots should yield to small amounts of gentle pressure and have a sweet fragrance.  Shriveled skin, bruises and or soft spots are to be avoided when selecting apricots; the skin should be smooth and velvety.

Storing

Apricots ripen at room temperature; you can ripen them faster by putting them in a paper bag with an apple, banana or pear. Once ripen they will last a couple of days under refrigeration. Only wash apricots when ready to eat.

Preparation

Since the season for apricots is very short, canning and freezing them is very popular.  When canning apricots follow procedures for canning normal fruit. In order to freeze apricots, halve and take out the pit. Then place fruit single layer on a sheet and freeze, once frozen put in freezer bag or freezer container and place back in freezer.

Nutrition Information