Until what month do they sell apricots. Apricots in central Russia

Jul 21, 2011 . 21:41

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Apricot ripens quite early: in some Mediterranean countries - already in March. And in the south of Russia, apricot fruits ripen at the very beginning of summer - in June.
Apricots are useful: rich in carotene (vitamin A), minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, fluorine), easily digestible fructose. In addition, fresh fruits are low in calories.
Apricots should not be bought unripe: taken from the branches of a tree ahead of time, they will remain unripe. After washing the apricot, it must be wiped dry: this way the taste of the ripe fruit will appear much stronger.
Keep in mind: apricots spoil quickly. That is why they are often preserved (whole, halves and cubes, in their own juice and in syrup), juices are pressed from them and wine is made. Apricots are dried in two ways: whole, with pits (apricots are obtained) or cut into halves, pitted (dried apricots are obtained).
Please note: the proportion of carbohydrates in dried apricots and apricots is higher than in fresh fruits - respectively, their calorie content is also higher. If dried apricots are used in cooking, they are pre-soaked in warm water for two hours.

Jam and jam from apricots
A jar of apricot jam can turn an ordinary evening tea party into a real holiday. How to make apricot jam? There is nothing difficult in this. For the simplest option, you will need apricots, water and sugar. However, apricots go well with ginger root, so keep that in mind. It is better to take apricots for jam firmer, not overripe - then they will not fall apart during cooking. And ginger can be rubbed on a grater and added at the end. If you want to remove the skin from the apricots, hold them for a few minutes in boiling water.
Whether to take out pits from apricots is up to you. It is better, of course, to take it out - why break your teeth? But if you want to make a real delicacy from apricots, do not be too lazy to split each bone, remove the kernel from it and put it back into the apricot. However, instead of the actual apricot kernels, you can use walnut quarters or almonds.
Removing a stone from an apricot is not at all difficult: make a small incision along the hollow that runs along the berry, and carefully remove the stone. If the berries are ripe, the stone will pop out of them almost by itself. On firm, slightly unripe fruits, you will have to make a slightly larger incision.
Source gastronom.ru

In the southern regions of our homeland, apricot is a familiar and ordinary tree. It grows in almost every yard. But in the middle lane, growing apricots will require more effort.

It is believed that the apricot comes from China, from where it traveled through Central Asia to Iran, and then to Armenia. And already from Armenia about 2000 years ago, the apricot came to ancient Greece, where it was called the “Armenian apple” (malum armeniacum), and then ended up in Ancient Rome under the name “Armenian plum” (prunus armeniaca ) . In our country, apricot is also called zherdel, it is widespread in the northern Caucasus, in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and other southern regions.

Apricot has come a long way

Landing

Apricot belongs to the Rosaceae family, it is a sprawling tree with a powerful trunk. The plant is southern, for its planting, you should choose the warmest, brightest and highest place in the garden possible.

It is necessary to plant before the awakening of the kidneys - at the end of April. There are about 5 m between the trees. The landing pit is prepared in autumn and has dimensions of 70x70x70 cm. When planting, keep in mind that the root system is 2 times larger than the crown in diameter.

The soil for apricot should not be dense, it needs to be prepared. Drainage should be placed at the bottom of the pit - crushed stone, gravel. Then we add a soil mixture consisting of the top layer of earth with organic (humus) and mineral fertilizers, wood ash (lime) and ammonium nitrate. It is better to add lime in advance so as not to burn the roots. Mix the fertilizers, sprinkle with a little earth so that the roots do not come into direct contact with them.

The planting hole is filled up to ground level so that after planting the apricot is located on a mound. If groundwater passes through the site, then the elevation must be increased. Apricot roots are sprinkled to the level of the neck of the plant so that it is not buried. Make a watering circle according to the diameter of the hill. After planting, you need to water the apricot seedling with 2 buckets of water. But do not blur the mound and do not expose the root system. There is an option to plant an apricot horizontally, bending a young seedling to the ground, and fasten it to the branches at an angle of 40 degrees. Due to this, the seedling receives a lot of heat from the ground.

Scheme of planting an apricot with bending to the ground

reproduction

An apricot grown from the seeds of a local plant will be much more resistant to climate, and the properties of the variety in the case of an apricot are usually inherited. Therefore, stones are a good way to grow apricots. The seeds are washed and planted either immediately, while still wet, and all summer they make sure that the ridge is wet, or they are stored until autumn in wet sand in the basement and planted no later than the beginning of October.

The third option is to plant seeds in the spring. To do this, in early March, the seeds stored at room temperature should be soaked for 5 days in cold water, constantly renewing it, and then placed in a bag in a moist substrate (sawdust, moss, sand): 1 part of the seeds to 3 parts of the substrate. The mixture is kept at +4 ... + 12 ° C, holes are made in the bag for air access. Stratification lasts from 40 to 100 days (depending on the apricot variety). You will know that the seeds are ready for planting when you see that the seeds have cracked and sprouted. But if this happened too early, then it is necessary to transfer the seeds to an even colder place, 0 ... + 2 ° С.

Seeds are planted in early May in neutral soil with organic and mineral fertilizers previously added to it. A furrow is made in the prepared ridge, it spills well with water, and seeds are planted to a depth of about 7 cm. The distance between the bones should be at least 10 cm, between rows 50 cm. After planting, mulch the bed with humus, rotted sawdust or peat crumbs.

Stones are a good way to grow apricots

Apricot grows rapidly, during the summer the seedling will grow up to 100 cm. Already in the next winter, the seedling can be transplanted to its permanent place or used as a rootstock for grafting. After 3-4 years, the trees will begin to produce a crop.

Graft

At 1-2 years of age, rootstock seedlings can be grafted with a cutting of a fruiting apricot. For copulation (grafting by combining the trunk of a seedling, cut at a height of 3-7 cm from the ground, and a cutting), the trunk should be no thinner than 0.8 cm. Usually, vaccination is done in April-May, during the period of sap flow.

Another option is grafting at an older age, “for the bark” on separate skeletal branches. This will speed up the fruiting time of the plant, will allow different plants to pollinate on the same tree.

Care

Although drought tolerant, apricots require watering to develop properly. Apricot should be fed when it blooms and with the appearance of fruits.

If there are too many fruits and this is detrimental to young, brittle apricot branches, as well as to improve the quality of the fruits themselves, the ovaries are thinned out, they do this after the extra ovaries have fallen. To get a clearer idea of ​​how many ovaries to leave, use the ratio of fruits to leaves, as a rule, it is 1 to 20.

Of the insect pests, aphids cause the most trouble to the apricot. To scare her away, you can plant nasturtium around.

pruning

After planting, it is necessary to cut the skeletal branches and trunk. The most suitable crown scheme for apricot is sparse-tiered. 5-6 skeletal branches are selected. The growth of branches from one place of the trunk is avoided, skeletal branches are laid at a large angle to the trunk.

Apricot fruits develop on annual shoots, the largest yield is formed on continuation shoots. In spring, fruiting branches should be shortened in half to give flower buds development on the remainder.
Thinning of the crown is also necessary for better light permeability. Anti-aging pruning is carried out in the summer after the harvest. But mature trees do not like heavy pruning.

Harvesting

For drying and eating, the fruits are harvested when the apricot is completely ripe. For transportation - when the green color changes to light yellow. For canning, fruits with firm pulp, not overripe, are selected.
Harvesting should be done in dry weather after the dew has disappeared. When harvesting in cold or hot weather, the quality of the fruit is impaired.

In our market, which unites large online stores, you can choose apricot seedlings from collectors () and large manufacturers. Chapter .

Until recently, the apricot was considered an exotic tree that grew only in warm countries. Recently, many cold-resistant varieties have been bred, so this fruit crop can be increasingly found in Russian gardens. Everyone who grows it should know how to harvest apricots and how to keep an apricot fresh for a long period of time. Let's talk about this in more detail.

The nuances of collecting fruits

The ripening period of apricots depends on the variety and region of cultivation. The earliest forms ripen in early June, the later ones in July and the first half of August. The fruits ripen faster with the predominance of sunny days and slower with frequent rains.

Often, the gardener has to pick slightly unripe apricots. There is a logical explanation for this. As a rule, the harvest ripens unevenly, and the trees are grown in summer cottages that are far from home. Therefore, most gardeners simply do not have time to travel to the country every few days to collect only fully ripened fruits. In addition, sometimes there are prolonged rains that make it difficult to harvest, especially those fruits that are located higher on the tree.

Harvesting from apricots is done by hand. Since the fruits are quite delicate and can be damaged when pressed with fingers, it is recommended to use the entire brush when picking them. The fruit is covered with a hand and carefully separated from the stalk. If the tree is tall, the crop is harvested with a ladder. It is possible to knock down fruits only if they are planned to be used within 1-2 days. The plucked fruits are placed in a plastic container.

Storage Features

Storage of fruits of an apricot tree has the following nuances:

• only fresh, slightly unripe fruits, taken from the tree by hand (not fallen), on which there are no defects and stains, are subject to long-term storage;
• the shelf life of apricots depends on the variety and cultivation conditions (late-ripening forms are stored better);
• it is not recommended to store the fruits "in bulk", as in this case they begin to rot quickly;
• wooden boxes should be used for storage;
• apricots for the winter can be stored not only in their natural form, but also frozen, dried and dried.

Storage methods

By observing the storage conditions, you can save the harvest of apricots for a long period of time. At a temperature of 20-23 degrees, fully ripe fruits do not deteriorate for 2-3 days. If the fruits were picked not fully ripe, they will ripen in the same time and will be suitable for consumption.

How to store a significant crop? It can be transferred to a cool room, where the air temperature ranges from +10 to +15 degrees, and the humidity is 50-70%. The fruits are wrapped with parchment paper and neatly folded into a wooden box. In this way, you can save the crop for 1-3 weeks.

You can also store apricots in the refrigerator. At a temperature of about 0 degrees, they do not lose their taste and presentation for 2-4 weeks. With a longer stay in the refrigerator, the pulp becomes loose and begins to rot. Only fully ripe fruits can be stored in the refrigerator. They are placed in sealed bags. It is not necessary to wash and remove apricot pits before laying.

Another way to save apricots for the winter is to store them in the freezer. The fruits are pre-washed, divided into halves and the bones are removed. Then they are placed in plastic bags and placed in the freezer. This is the best way to preserve the fruits of apricots, but it has a significant drawback. After defrosting, the pulp becomes very soft. Therefore, such fruits are only suitable for adding to dishes and pastries. You can store apricots in the freezer for 6-8 months. They cannot be re-frozen.

In winter, probably, everyone wants something tasty and healthy - fruits, berries and other things. Yes, not Chinese pacifiers, where there are a thousand times more chemicals than vitamins, but something relatively natural. We are now indulging in fresh apricots. And we do not just indulge, but, one might say, we gorge ourselves on them.

I won’t talk much about the taste and benefits of apricots. Probably everyone has tried it. That they have a lot of potassium, carotene, iodine, iron and a bunch of other vitamins, that apricots are very useful for vision, the heart, for strengthening and treating the kidneys, that even cancer is treated with apricot pits I will not speak. These are all well-known facts, and you can read about them elsewhere. Today I will tell you about something else, about how to use apricots absolutely waste-free, and how very cheaply you can eat these tasty and healthy fruits fresh all year round .

Previously, we never harvested apricots for the winter. And now we have a lot of them. And this is where it all started. I went one time last summer in our city to the fruit market. I bought some plums, some cherries… I go for apricots.

Evening was approaching, the market was soon closing, so the prices were low. Someone was selling apricots for 80 rubles, someone for 70, someone for 60 ... I go up to one "person of Caucasian nationality" and ask what his price is. He to me.

Take it! I give for 50!

Let's! - I answer.

How old are you?

Kilogram.

Take two. I'll give it for 45.

Well, come on, two.

He puts apricots, puts ...

Listen, - he says, - can you take three? Good apricots! Sweet! Ripe! Take it!

Yes, where do I three! No need!

Take it! I'll give you 40!

I thought and thought and agreed. They know how to persuade. No wonder they trade ... And he is right there.

Why three. Take the whole box, - he sees that my eyes are already popping out of indignation, and right there. - Take it! Hey, 30 will be! Take only!

I think: “Why do I need a whole box? There are at least 8 kilograms, or even more. Although ... a little for myself, a little for my parents, a little for my mother-in-law ... So there is no box.

Ah, okay, - I say, - let's box!

I took the box, took out my wallet to pay. And he told me.

Maybe take another one? I just have the last one. I would sell you both and go home. Take both boxes then I'll count 20 rubles each.

I think: “Well, I have nothing to lose. Where there is one box, there is another. In general, I bought two boxes of apricots from him at a completely ridiculous price - 20 rubles per kilogram. In stores then, apricots cost 100 rubles on average.

Barely before the car I finished these boxes. Brought home. And what to do with them? Well, eat a little. Do not eat much - very sweet. We left some for hotels. But other?

We decided to freeze them. Like berries. Apricots have never been frozen before. Therefore, they doubted: But will they turn into a mess after freezing? Not all fruits and berries are successfully frozen. But there is nowhere to go. Do not throw it away, since I was led for free and bought two boxes.

We washed the apricots, cut them in half, pulled out the seeds and put them in such boxes.

Then, with other berries and fruits, they were placed in containers - and in the freezer.

Our freezer is large. I highly recommend this freezer. Here is her review.

After freezing, the apricots have slightly changed the taste. But still delicious. We feared that it would be worse. But no, you can eat, quite even. In winter, when you can’t buy good fruits and berries, it’s just great to eat such apricots. And they do not become limp when you defrost, whole, plump more or less. Now we have fresh apricots all the time. As you wish - we got it and eat.

You can also make jam from apricots. And you can dry them. We also dried some of the apricots - on such a dryer for vegetables and fruits.

From two boxes of apricots, we got a whole bag of seeds. They are also very helpful. Especially due to vitamin B17. But eat in moderation recommended , several per day. We do. Almost all the bones have been eaten.

Regarding Rumors about terrible hydrocyanic acid, which is found in apricot seeds and can poison you. Yes, they have it, and you should not forget about it. But to get poisoned, you need to eat at least 100 grains at a time. And from 5 to 10 pieces you definitely won’t get sick, only there will be benefits. By the way, hydrocyanic acid is also found in apple seeds, and even in almonds. But you are not afraid of poisoning with almonds.

Not so long ago I saw such bones in "Ashane". A kilogram of peeled ones costs more than 400 rubles! Yes, I paid less for two boxes of apricots and got the bones in addition for free!

Information about the origin of the apricot is lost in ancient times. Most researchers believe that its homeland is Southeast Asia with the main center in Northern China. It was later taken to Greece and made its way to other parts of Europe. In terms of prevalence in the world, apricot occupies only the fifth position, after apple, plum, peach and cherry. The reasons for this are more uncertain yields, as well as short maturation of varieties, compared to many other types of fruit. Unstable yields are mainly due to frostbite of fruit buds, flowers and ovaries. Unlike peach, where the main varieties ripen from late June to mid-September, apricot varieties ripen in the Russian Federation and nearby countries within a month: from late June to late July.

Ripening time and conditions for apricots

When apricots ripen depends primarily on the planting region and varieties. In general, this culture loves areas with a warm climate. In Russia, it is common in the southern regions: Rostov, Volgograd, Astrakhan regions, Krasnodar Territory, apricots grow in the Crimea, in the Caucasus. From nearby regions in the Russian Federation, Uzbek, Abkhazian apricot, as well as Armenian and Azerbaijani are known.

The time it takes the fruit to reach maturity is 40 days. This is the average time. And if in the Mediterranean countries early varieties begin to ripen in the spring, then the ripening time of apricots in Russia begins in the last decade of June.

Where do apricots appear in Russia in May? Most likely, they are brought from countries with a warmer climate.

apricot harvest

Varieties of fruit crops can be grouped by the time when apricots ripen:

1. Early. The collection of fruits begins in the period from the 20th of June and ends on July 4-6. Early are varieties for immediate fresh consumption or table;
2. Mid-early. Also includes table varieties and partially intended for canning. They ripen from the first week of July to the middle of the month;
3. Medium-term. They ripen from mid-July to the 20th;
4. Late. They ripen at the end of July.

These time frames determine when an apricot ripens in Crimea. They can be extended to the southern regions of Russia, where climatic conditions have insignificant differences. In Central Asian countries, the fruits become ripe earlier by about a month.

Important! In the Caucasian and Central Asian mountainous areas, the timing of the collection of fruits depends on the height of the apricot trees. First, fruits ripen in the gardens at the foot of the mountains, and a month later - in the areas above.

The dates when apricots of different varieties will definitely ripen are determined:

• fertilizer method;
• type of soil;
• weather conditions;
• geographic location;
• irrigation system.

They also depend on the individual characteristics of the tree:

• age;
• the presence of diseases;
• growth forces;
• productivity.

Important! Frosts during the flowering period have a special effect on the yield of an apricot tree.

Ripening dates of apricots in the territory of the Russian Federation

The apricot season in Russia starts at the end of June, continues throughout July, and some varieties are harvested even in August. After the development of frost-resistant varieties, they were also grown in more northern regions located in the middle zone of the Russian Federation.

In Moscow

Apricots on the tree

It has become possible to harvest apricots in Moscow since about the 60s of the last century. Breeders have bred varieties that can tolerate spring frosts. But they are planted mainly in the southern regions of the Moscow region. This southern fruit becomes ripe here somewhat later. Early fruits are obtained in the last decade of July, and late ones ripen only by the end of August. The main difficulty in fruit cultivation in this region is the often returning spring frosts. After all, the apricot begins to bloom very early, even before the leaves appear on the tree, in the south - already in March.

Important! Thaws are especially dangerous when the biochemical processes of the tree organism are triggered, and subsequent drops in temperature damage the fruit buds.

Where do they bring early apricots to Moscow? First of all, from Uzbekistan and Transcaucasia, then comes the turn of the southern Russian regions.

In Volgograd

The Volgograd region is one of the favorable areas for growing sweet fruit, but weather conditions are the reason that the yield can vary greatly from year to year. When early apricots ripen in Volgograd, it can be determined in accordance with the general terms for fruit ripening in southern Russia. The same applies to other varieties. The average fruiting period is from late June to late July.

In the Krasnodar Territory

The Krasnodar Territory is one of the most "apricot" places in Russia. The climate there is exceptionally suitable for these fruits. They are grown on an industrial scale, and it is difficult to find the owner of a personal plot or a summer house who does not grow an apricot tree. There are also many wild trees growing and bearing fruit in forest plantations and on the streets of small towns and villages. The fruits growing on them do not differ in high palatability, but they are quite edible.

Apricots are very productive.

The ripening time for apricots in the Krasnodar Territory is also standard for the south of the Russian Federation. Already at the end of June, you can enjoy early sweet fruits, and at the end of July, the turn of the late ones comes.

In the Rostov region

The Rostov region, along with Krasnodar, is the main region for the cultivation of apricots. But, despite the warm climate, spring frosts still sometimes happen, which affects the number of fruits obtained. The Rostov apricot will ripen at the same time as the Krasnodar apricot.

In other regions

Apricots ripen well in Astrakhan and the Stavropol Territory, as well as in the North Caucasian republics neighboring Rostov and Krasnodar. The maturity period is the same.

These fruits are also grown a little to the north: in the region of Saratov, Voronezh and the Belgorod region. But a more severe climate contributes to the shift of aging to later. Here, the cultivation of these fruits is associated with risks, and varieties are used specially adapted to the local climate. The most common varieties in the middle lane ripen closer to mid-July, the later ones - in mid-August.

Interesting. The distribution of apricot in the Russian Federation is not limited to these regions. Grow it in Primorye, Khakassia, Orenburg region. In some years, with favorable weather and proper care, good harvests are obtained there. The bred varieties can be promoted to other parts of the country, located north of the usual fruit cultivation.

When do apricots ripen abroad

The countries from which fragrant fruits are supplied are mainly the post-Soviet states of Central Asia and the Caucasus.

In Abkhazia

The subtropical climate of Abkhazia is very suitable for apricots, as well as for many other southern fruits, including citrus fruits. Apricots can reach ripeness here a little earlier than in the Krasnodar Territory, but not significantly. July is considered the "apricot" month for Abkhazia, and they begin to ripen from mid-June.

apricot tree

In Armenia

This country of Transcaucasia is sometimes referred to as the birthplace of the apricot. Some researchers consider it, and not China, to be the territory of origin of fruits. The guests of the republic are immediately told how the word “apricot” will be in Armenian. It sounds like "cyran". And in Latin, the fruit is called the Armenian plum. The yellow color on the flag of Armenia is dedicated to the apricot, holidays are held in honor of it. Along with European varieties, Central Asian and special Armenian varieties grow here, which are distinguished by excellent taste.

Interesting. The national musical instrument of Armenia, called the duduk, is made from the apricot tree. It is from this wood that Armenian pipes with a unique sound are obtained.

The apricot season starts in Armenia in mid-June and lasts almost until the end of July.

in Azerbaijan

Almost identical varieties of fruits are cultivated in Azerbaijan, neighboring Armenia, and the climatic conditions of the two countries are very similar. From this we can conclude that when Azerbaijani apricots ripen, in the same period as the Armenian ones. Compared to the southern Russian regions, fruits ripen here about 2 weeks earlier.

Features of storing apricots

Apricot is an extremely delicate fruit, with tender flesh. It is very difficult to keep a ripe fruit for a long time due to the rapid loss of moisture and a tendency to disease. The delicate structure makes it difficult to transport. However, under certain conditions, it is possible to achieve an extension of the shelf life of its freshness.

apricot jam

1. If it is necessary to transport fruits and keep them intact for an extended period, then firm, slightly unripe fruits with a whole surface, without spots and signs of damage are selected;
2. In order for the fruits to ripen, they must be stored outside the refrigerator, at a temperature of about 15 ° C, in a room with good light and air circulation, but protection from direct sunlight is obligatory;

Important! Green fruits should not be removed from the branches; only three to five days should remain until the full degree of ripeness of the fruit is reached.

1. Ripe fruits are stored in wooden boxes. They should not fit snugly against each other. It is good to use boxes with separate cells. If they are not, then each fruit is wrapped in parchment paper;
2. Do not use plastic bags for storage in the refrigerator. The best capacity is plastic containers, fruit trays;
3. Ideal taste qualities of fresh fruits are stored for about 3 weeks. Late varieties have longer;
4. When storing apricot, it is necessary to provide a temperature not exceeding +5 ° C, air humidity - from 90 to 95%. The microclimate of the cellars has such conditions. The period for which the fruits can be stored there is about 1 month;
5. Fruits that have reached ripeness are processed for longer storage. They can be dried, frozen and canned.

Apricots are not only very tasty, but also extremely healthy. It is better to enjoy their taste during the period of natural ripening, the boundaries of which are somewhat shifted in different climatic zones. You can save and transport the crop if you save the fruit correctly, and for bookmarking for a long time, you need to use freezing, drying or conservation.