Apricots– They call them the first fruits of summer. They are a great source of Vitamin A for only 17 calories per apricot! No wonder I could eat about 50 of them at a time growing up. The downside of course to eating that many- they keep you regular!
1 year ago, I found an apricot tree. We had tried a pear tree a few years back without any success, so I wanted to try again. Only one year later, we are producing actual fruit! This is our tree in our backyard- see those apricots about to ripen?
For our snack today, I melted some semi-sweet chocolate. I dipped dried apricots in the chocolate, and topped with an almond. Placed the chocolate dipped treat on wax paper and stuck in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Optional: Sprinkle coconut on for extra flavor.
Apricots are a great food to include in your families diet. They are:
- High in fiber (1 gram per apricot- but they are small, so this is actually really good)
- They contain 900mcg of vitamin A-
- They contain 3.5 mg of vitamin C-
- They are a great source of potassium.
- They taste great raw- no prepping necessary!
For our fresh apricots, I sliced in half and removed the pit. I replaced the pit with a whole almond. Then, I drizzled the melted chocolate over the apricots. I placed on wax paper and put in the freezer just for about 10 minutes.
This is TJ tasting the chocolate covered almond apricots- when he insisted the almond had to be the apricot pit. He didn’t believe me he could eat the whole thing!
Availability:
Apricots are in peak season in early summer. Their ripest, best flavor, and the time they are cheapest, is generally May through August. Dried apricots of course are available to purchase year round and are concentrated in fiber, iron, and potassium.
Purchasing:
When choosing apricots in the grocery store, or picking them from a tree, check for apricots that are orange in color, rather than having green, yellow or pale spots. They should be soft, not mushy or firm. Most importantly, smell the apricots. They should have a delicious aroma, indicating they are ready to eat.
Storing:
Apricots are very fragile, bruise easily, and ripen quickly. If apricots are already ripe, and you do not wish for them to further ripen, store them in the fridge. Even this method, your apricots will only last about 3 days. If you purchased apricots that are orange, yet very firm, leave them on the counter or in a brown paper bag to ripen them until the are soft to the touch. This should take about 2-3 days to ripen.
Nutrition:
Apricots are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and potassium.
1 Apricot contains: Calories: 17; Protein: 0.49g; Fat: trace; Carbohyrdate: 4g; Fiber: 1g
For more apricot recipes, check out our Apricot Page!!