Overview
Spanish explorers are credited with introducing the apricot to the New World, with the earliest plantings reported in Virginia. But the temperate eastern climate was not suitable for apricot production, which did not flourish until seeds were planted in the gardens of Spanish missions in California. Today, over 94 percent of the apricots grown in the United States come from California, where the first major crop of apricots was recorded in 1792 in an area south of San Francisco. The remaining 6 percent of total U.S. apricot production comes from Washington and Utah.
Like most stone fruits, apricots thrive in a Mediterranean climate of long, hot summers and cool, wet winters. Apricots mature primarily in early summer making them one of the earliest available summer fruits. Commercially, the fruit is harvested just as the skin changes from green to yellow before the fruit is too soft and subject to bruising and rapid decay. The U.S. fresh market production season is relatively short, lasting from mid-May through mid-August. However, processed apricots are typically available throughout the year. February 2006 . . . Apricots