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Apriums: more apricot than plum & so juicy!


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Russ Parsons: LA Times

apriums, which have some of the honeyed character of a great apricot, but whereas so many apricots tend to be dry and mealy, apriums are juicy
From what I have just read, apriums have slightly fuzzy skin like a peach. Apriums are known for their sweetness and distinctly apricot flavor ... the sugar content is much higher than that of plums or apricots alone. I have yet to find and try them but Russ Parsons' article has compelled me to search for apriums at our local farmers' market!

All of this reminds me of a discussion here on When you hear "stone fruits", do you think Dateline NBC or summer?

And, of course, there is this recipe for Balsamic Glazed Grilled Apriums

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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most aprium varieties i've tried are fuzz-less (or, in teh language of fruit breeders, non-pubescent). to me, the best of them have the flavor of an apricot and the texture of a plum.

the real story, as far as i'm concerned, is the incredibly sorry state of modern apricots, which makes a new fruit desirable in the first place.

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the real story, as far as i'm concerned, is the incredibly sorry state of modern apricots, which makes a new fruit desirable in the first place.

So, the new question really ought to be, what ever happened to apricots as we once knew them? :rolleyes:

Anyone care to venture a guess or an idea?

Does produce change over time?

Is that a good thing?

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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couple things:

1) what happened to the apricot is that they're a complete pain in the ass to grow. they tend to be tiny. they're early, so they're susceptible to all kinds of weather-related problems. the good varieties are even very irregular-bearing (one year you'll have a lot, the next year hardly any). the newer varieties were introduced to remedy these problems. problem is, they're just not very tasty.

2) there is a range of apricot-plum crossing: apriums are apricot than plum, plumcots are 50-50 and pluots are more plum. there are only a few apriums and even fewer plumcots. most of what you find are pluots. and they can be very, very good (look starting mid-july for the best ones).

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What's the difference between a pluot and an aprium? In the former, the pluot is the breeder and the apricot, the breed'ee? (Oh, crap. You would not believe what is running through my mind right now ...)

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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...or apricots. 

Our markets do have strawberries that taste as good as they look, but the only good apricots I have eaten in this country lately have been dried.

(Thanks for the information about California's berry-growers, Russ.)

the real story, as far as i'm concerned, is the incredibly sorry state of modern apricots, which makes a new fruit desirable in the first place.

Plumbing threads seems fruitful, if only for a kernel of a story. :wink:

"Viciousness in the kitchen.

The potatoes hiss." --Sylvia Plath

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Okay. Selective breeding rul... nah.

Edited by Jason Perlow (log)

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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How would substituting an aprium for an apricot in a recipe that calls for apricots affect the recipe? It seems from the blurb I read and what I read here that they are both juicier and sweeter.

Let's say, for example, you had a recipe for an apricot tart, do you think you could do a straight substitution or would you have to monkey with it a bit?

Also, my husband remarked (as I was reading the LA Times blurb) that he didn't like the taste of apricots. Is the taste of an aprium markedly different, or just similar?

These seem like something I would like to try making a dessert out of, but I'm not sure if (1) I should look for recipes crafted for apriums, like the one linked above, or if I could also use recipes that call for ripe apricots as well; and (2) if I should even bother making any for my husband (if not, more for me!)

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i think apriums would work better in cooking as a substitute for plums rather than apricots. one of the things that's great about cooking apricots is that they have such a firm, meaty texture. to me, apriums are much grainier, kind of like the difference between a peach and a plum (though apricots are usually meatier than a peach).

as for taste, the only way to tell for sure is to try one. to me, they resemble an apricot, somewhat. but a very good apricot. if your husband's only experience has been with commercial 'cots, that's not nearly the same thing. other people, though, think they taste more like plums.

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What would happen if you crossed a pluot with an aprium? Would you yet plutonium? Like would you get two full fruits again?

Edited by Jason Perlow (log)

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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What would happen if you crossed a pluot with an aprium? Would you yet plutonium? Like would you get two full fruits again?

interesting question, but i think it would be against the law in several southern states.

seriously, it would probably be someplace in the middle. pluots are usually derived by crossing apriums with plumcots (thereby concentrating the plum side of the lineage).

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actually, there's kind of an interesting side to all of this (from an ag geek perspective). these fruits are somewhat controversial. there is something called the california tree fruit agreement (did you know they ever disagreed?), that is a marketing organization that represents all plum, peach and nectarine farmers in the state. its members are assessed a certain amount for each box of fruit they sell. so far, aprium, pluot and plumcots have been exempt, because they are not plums, peaches or nectarines. but the CTFA has now started doing dna studies on some of the crosses and are arguing that, in fact, they are really nothing more than new varieties of plums (hence, assessable). just thought you'd like to know.

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I bought a box of Apriums last week, and they were terrible -- mealy, cottony, dry, with very little flavor. I guess I should know better -- fruit that is picked green and shipped 3,000 miles is just that.

I am fortunate to have a neighbor with an apricot tree, and let me tell you, there is nothing better. Those orange pucks in the grocery store are not even a faint resemblence to a real, tree ripened apricot. He also has a dozen different varieties of peaches. I am soooo lucky.

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