Apricot growers see crop production rebound

Having received enough chill hours this year to set a crop, California apricot growers are currently harvesting apricots for the fresh and processing markets and expect to produce a normal-sized crop.

"Apricot harvest began in California in early May, when apricot growers started picking fruit for the fresh market. Now, we're harvesting the Patterson variety, which is for all usages, fresh market and processing," said Bill Ferriera, president of the Apricot Producers of California. "The recent warm temperatures have us a little concerned, but the quality looks excellent and the size looks good."

Each year, apricot harvest begins in Kern County and moves northward through the San Joaquin Valley to the Westley-Patterson area.

Lucich-Santos Farms in Patterson grows 700 acres of conventional and organic apricots, primarily to be eaten fresh. Most of the fruit is shipped to wholesale and retail outlets throughout North America; the remainder is sold for drying, canning, freezing or juicing.

"The Patterson is our largest apricot variety and makes up about half of what we pack," said Dave Santos, who co-owns the business with his brother-in-law, Pete Lucich. "The Patterson is the epitome of what an apricot should taste like, with the right amount of sweetness and tartness. The consumer can eat it fresh, can it, make jam or puree. It's an all-purpose piece of fruit."

Santos grows many other apricot varieties, including the aprium, which is a cross between an apricot and a plum.

The 2016 apricot crop is expected to be in the range of 50,000 tons or more—quite different from last season, when growers harvested only 35,000 tons of apricots.

People in the apricot business attributed last year's lower production to a lack of chilling temperatures that are needed to set a crop, plus the ongoing drought. This year's conditions brought enough chill and precipitation to bring production more in line with a normal crop year, Ferriera said.

"Last year, a lot of stone fruits had a lighter crop because of poor chilling and some weather issues, so all of the canners or processors didn't get what they needed," Santos said. "Today, apricots are pretty much in balance."

Pertaining to drought, Ferriera said many apricot growers in the western San Joaquin Valley purchase water from districts served by the federal Central Valley Project, and had received a zero water allocation the past two years. This year, that figure has been upgraded slightly, to a 5 percent allocation.

"With the increased use of groundwater, Westside growers are noticing higher salinity levels, which could harm the crop," Ferriera said.

As growers proceed with harvest, an ongoing challenge comes from not having enough employees to pick the crop. Ferriera said he expects the supply of workers to become more limited as the season progresses, saying, "I think labor will be very tight throughout the year."

More growers are looking to become mechanized, he said, but apricot trees need to be trained to be able to work with a more mechanized system. Mechanized options are available for apricot harvest, but concerns remain over the bruising of fruit. Even so, Ferriera said, "I think we'll see more of it (mechanization)."

Apricot grower Daniel Bays of Westley, who operates Bays Ranch with his family, grows a 2,000-acre mix of apricots and other crops. The Bays family sells its apricots to processors that slice the fruit for canned or frozen products or use it to make brand-name jams, juices, sauces and baby food. Some of the crop is also dried and sold at farmers markets.

"We grow the Patterson variety, as it is a good, versatile variety that works well for canning, freezing, juicing, drying and marketing fresh," Bays said. "My family started farming apricots in the 1960s, so apricots have always been part of the farm."

Bays said he enjoys apricots in all forms, from fresh off the tree to the dried or processed forms that allow him to eat the fruit year-round.

"Dried is probably my favorite way to enjoy apricots—just as a snack—but I enjoy canned apricots over a little vanilla ice cream as well," he said.

About 15 percent of the fresh apricots produced in California go to the dried market. California apricots are rich in antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and iron.

Ferriera said demand for apricots has increased as people become more interested in healthy snacking and in buying fruit locally.

"We are seeing a strong demand for apricots during the season," he said. "A challenge to that is there is a limited amount of tonnage available to fill that need. Yet, the demand for apricots, fresh and processed, remains high."

Bays said the season for California-grown apricots is short, but the flavor, quality and color are unmatched by foreign fruit.

"Apricots provide sweet and tangy flavor that has a little more of a 'bite' than peaches or pears," he said. "They are a great fruit to start off the summer fruit season."

Chef Steve Ceron, owner of Apricot Wood California BBQ and Damasco Fine Foods and Spirits in Patterson, said he is inspired by the many possibilities offered by the fruit.

"We use apricots for everything from pizza to pork chops, cheese platters and spreads," Ceron said. "We put them in our salads, we wrap them with prosciutto and we make preserves."

At his barbecue restaurant, Ceron smokes meats, vegetables and other foods with wood from apricot orchards.

"Apricot wood is one of the finest woods you can smoke with," he said. "It has a very light flavor, is not overwhelming and smoky, and has a little sweetness."

For customers who enjoy liquid refreshment, the restaurant also offers apricot-based cocktails including martinis and mojitos.

This year's apricot harvest is expected to conclude by July 1, with 35 percent of the crop going to the fresh market and 65 percent to other uses such as concentrate or the canning, freezing and drying markets. Growers have negotiated a price for processed apricots of $625 per ton.

(Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com. A version of this story appeared in the May-June issue of California Bountiful magazine.)