At the end of August and beginning of September, a sunny fruit - apricot - appears on the shelves. Tender, juicy, aromatic - few people will be indifferent to it. In addition to its excellent taste, apricot is rich in vitamins and microelements, pectin and fiber.

Is this a fruit or a berry?

Apricot belongs to the Plum genus of the Rosaceae family. Moreover, this name hides the name of the tree and the fruit it produces. The homeland of the apricot has not been precisely established; China (more precisely, the Tien Shan region) and Armenia claim this title. From there it came to Europe, and from Europe at the end of the 17th century to Russia.

Recently, scientists are inclined to believe that the apricot originally appeared in China. However, Armenia gave the name that exists today to the fruit. “Apricot” is translated as “Armenian apple”. Today, apricots grow in warm and temperate climates in many countries around the world.

The apricot tree is a true long-liver and can live for a century. This is largely due to the fact that the fairly compact tree tolerates drought well (it has powerful and long roots to extract moisture from deep layers of soil) and frost down to -30 degrees.

Fruits are formed on the tree, covered with a delicate, slightly rough skin, with juicy pulp and a drupe inside. The fruits are eaten; they can be eaten fresh or used to prepare various dishes. Drupes and leaves in some cases can also become the basis of food or drinks, oils.

Based on the fact that apricot has a pit and is relatively small in size, it is sometimes called a berry. However, this is not true. If you delve deeper into the botanical terminology, it turns out that apricots are fruits belonging to the monodrupe type.

Varieties

Despite the variety of varieties, they are all divided into 2 large groups - wild and cultivated. The latter are grown by gardeners and sold in markets and stores. However, the fruits of wild apricots are in no way inferior to their cultivated counterparts in taste and benefits; they are also suitable for eating fresh or for use in cooking, the only thing is that they are not easy to find. The habitat is the mountains of Northern Asia, China, Kazakhstan and the Caucasus.

Depending on the variety, the taste and external characteristics of the fruit and its sugar content differ. In Russia, 54 species of cultivated apricots are known and included in the State Register. If we talk about imported products, they use their own variety names.

Among the most famous are “Iceberg” - a universal variety characterized by great sweetness and juiciness of the fruit. You can prepare various dishes from them, but jellies, jams, and jams are especially successful due to the increased amount of pectin in the composition.

If you taste the “Akademik” variety, you should be prepared for the fact that its pulp will crunch a little. Moreover, this is not a sign of immaturity. The fruits are large and taste sweet and sour.

"Iceberg"

"Academician"

The Alyosha apricot has similar taste characteristics. However, unlike the previous variety, its fruits are not large, but the seed is quite large.

Fans of sweet and sour apricots can also recommend the varieties “Aquarius” (it is not intended for storage), “Gritikaz” (if you grow it yourself, you should be prepared for the vagaries of caring for this variety), and “Zhemchuzhina Zhiguli”.

"Aquarius"

"Gritikaz"

"Pearl of Zhiguli"

Sweet and juicy fruits are “East Siberian” (an early-ripening variety that ripens by mid-July), “Countess” (differing in the difficulty of growing and depending on weather conditions). Juicy apricots are ideal for canning them in their own juice, making nectars and compotes.

"East Siberian"

"Countess"

However, for these purposes there are also special varieties - “Kompotny” (sweet and sour apricots). The sweet and sour, very juicy variety with a pronounced aroma “Red-cheeked” is also recommended for these purposes.

To prepare dried apricots or candied fruits, it is better to use the “Mountain Abakan” variety. The fruits have medium juiciness and a sweet and sour taste, and are quite large. The “Musa” variety with a pronounced sour taste and mealy, fibrous pulp is also suitable for this. Another variety for harvesting dried fruits is “Khonobach”. The fruits cannot boast of great visual appeal, but they break records for their vitamin C content.

"Mountain Abakan"

"Musa"

"Honobach"

If you want to surprise guests and household members with unusual-looking apricots, choose “Kuban Black”. The fruits have dark purple skin (some resemble plums) and the familiar orange flesh. The variety demonstrates juicy sweet and sour pulp and versatility of use.

“Black Velvet” has a similar appearance, and apricots emit a dizzying sweetish aroma and they also taste sweet. The variety is considered universal, but it is better to serve the fruits as a dessert.

For fresh consumption, we can recommend Lel apricots, which are considered to have the best taste. Their taste demonstrates an amazing harmony of sweetness and light sourness, juiciness, and tenderness of the pulp. Along with this variety, “Favorit” is usually distinguished, which is also characterized by good keeping quality.

Apricots “Tamasha” and “Surprise” are distinguished by their high transportability. The former are medium-sized sweet and sour fruits, while the latter are large apricots weighing about 40 g/1 piece.

It is not always possible to find out the variety of apricots from the seller; in this case, you should be guided by their appearance. If you are going to eat the fruits fresh, choose large and medium ones, elongated in shape and rich yellow in color. Sweet and sour varieties with pink, peach, and red spots on the sides of the fruit are suitable for preservation.

Small yellow apricots usually have a bitter taste and are good to combine with meat in the form of side dishes and sauces.

"Favorite"

"Tamasha"

"Surprise"

Calorie content and composition

Apricot has a nutritional value of 48 kcal per 100 g of product. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates looks like 11/3/86 (%).

It contains a lot of acids (malic, tartaric, citric), insulin, involved in hematopoiesis, as well as sugars and starch. Tannins, dietary fiber and pectin are also present. Iodine, silver, magnesium, phosphorus, iron - all this can also be found in apricot. Vitamins include ascorbic acid, A, E, H, P, as well as B vitamins (mainly B6).

The bright orange hue of the skin and pulp indicates a high content of beta-carotene. This provitamin is also found in carrots, but in apricots it is present in much larger quantities.

Apricot can also be called a champion in terms of potassium content. There is 3 times more of it in this fruit than in grapes. Armenian varieties have a high iodine content, which means their regular consumption can prevent thyroid diseases.

Beneficial features

Apricot is characterized by decongestant and antitoxic (removes salts of heavy metals), as well as a delicate diuretic and laxative effect.

It is able to activate the brain and improve memory, and is characterized by a restorative effect. In this regard, apricot is recommended during intellectual stress and is included in the diet of cancer patients. Experts recommend including this fruit in your child’s menu, as it is an immunostimulant that also improves brain function and increases concentration.

Rich in vitamins, primarily ascorbic acid, apricot strengthens the immune system and increases its resistance to viral and colds. During the period of seasonal acute respiratory viral infections and spring vitamin deficiency, it is recommended to regularly eat fresh or frozen fruits and drink tea based on apricot tree leaves.

If a cold is accompanied by a dry cough, you can also eat apricots or drink decoctions based on them, since the fruit helps remove mucus from the bronchi.

If you have hypertension, you can normalize your blood pressure by eating dried fruits. A decoction of apricot leaves removes toxins and poisons from the body, therefore it is recommended for those who work in hazardous industries or deal with lubricants and paints. In addition, it has a diuretic effect, relieves intestinal disorders and helminthiasis.

Apricot, rich in iron and potassium, is beneficial for anemia. It helps increase hemoglobin, which, in turn, allows the blood to better saturate tissues and organs with oxygen. Not only fresh fruit is useful, but also dried dried apricots.

The bark of the apricot tree also has benefits, the effect of which is similar to that of the medicine Piracetam. A decoction of the bark calms the nervous system, heart muscle, and relieves headaches. The bark has the ability to improve the functioning of blood vessels and increase their elasticity.

Apricot juice has the same properties as the whole fruit, but is better absorbed because it contains less fiber. It perfectly quenches thirst and gives a feeling of fullness. Rich in iron and ascorbic acid, carotene, it is recommended for children and pregnancy. Apricot juice helps to cope with swelling, as it removes excess fluid from the body. Finally, the drink will relieve the feeling of bloating, heartburn, and colitis.

You can eat the seed kernels, but little by little. This is due to the presence of amygdalin in them. Once in the digestive organs, it turns into hydrocyanic acid. In large quantities it can cause poisoning, but in small doses it is considered a natural and safe anti-cancer agent. The nucleoli are also an anthelmintic. The permissible dosage for an adult is no more than 15 per day.

It is better to start using them with a couple of kernels per day, gradually increasing the dosage provided there is no negative reaction from the body.

The fruit, rich in vitamins and microelements, is beneficial for pregnant women. In addition, it has a mild laxative effect, which is important in the early stages of pregnancy, when constipation often appears.

You can eat apricots while breastfeeding, but only if it does not have negative consequences for the baby's health. If your baby suffers from constipation, apricot will be useful and will help empty the intestines. However, the fruit can cause colic, and due to the high sugar content, diathesis.

Contraindications

First of all, you should avoid consuming apricots if you are allergic to it or have an individual intolerance. As a rule, this is manifested by stomach pain, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. Sometimes there is a skin rash and irritation.

Despite their relatively low calorie content, apricots cannot be called a dietary product. Obese people and those suffering from diabetes should use them with caution due to the high sugar content.

As already mentioned, apricots have a beneficial effect on the intestines, but they should not be eaten during gastritis, in the presence of ulcers and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the urinary system. Fruits contain a large amount of acids that irritate already inflamed tissues.

Due to their ability to lower blood pressure, people suffering from severe hypotension and slow heartbeat should not eat ripe fruits in large quantities.

Due to their high acid content, apricots and their juice are not recommended to be consumed on an empty stomach. Otherwise, you can provoke spasms. It is important to eat ripe fruits as green ones can cause diarrhea. Excessive consumption of both fruits and kernels will also cause harm. It is enough for an adult to eat 20-30 fruits daily, for children - 10-15.

Cooking methods

Apricots are widely used in cooking. You can make jams and compotes from them, and thanks to the high content of pectins, the fruit produces delicious jams and jams that do not require additional thickeners in the composition.

You can pickle whole apricots, halves or slices, using sweet syrups or the fruit's own juice. The latter, by the way, turns out to be very thick and rich. It can also be canned or served immediately after cooking. Apricots are preserved for the winter by preparing compotes, jams, pastes and preserves.

Fruits are added to salads, not only fruit, but also vegetable and meat. In combination with honey and lemon juice, apricot in salads makes the taste of the latter more piquant and emphasizes the tenderness of the meat. It goes well with tomatoes, sweet peppers, and walnuts.

If we talk about fruit salads, then in addition to apricots, you can put bananas, cherries, apples, oranges, and strawberries in them.

Apricots can become one of the components of sauces for meat. For example, the author’s recipe for the famous Georgian tkemali sauce involves replacing part of the plums needed for its preparation with apricots.

Frozen, fresh or canned apricot can be baked with meat dishes, added to baked goods, dumplings. The fruit combines harmoniously with almost all types of dough - curd, yeast, shortbread, puff pastry.

The fruit, as well as its leaves, serve as the basis for many drinks - tea, juices, nectars, compotes, smoothies, cocktails, jelly. They are collected and dried in a dry, well-ventilated place, after which they are stored in a fabric bag or paper bag for no more than a year.

Jam

Despite the fact that many nutritional components are lost when cooking jam, with the right approach, apricot jam will contain vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, and magnesium. The main thing is to choose recipes without excessive sugar content and not to subject the fruit to prolonged cooking.

Seedless

This recipe can be called classic (based on it, adding other ingredients and spices, you can get all new types of jam) and very simple. All you need is fresh apricots and granulated sugar, taken in equal proportions.

For jam, select ripe, undamaged and rotten fruits and wash them. Next, the fruit is divided into halves, the pit is removed, and the remaining part is laid out in a single layer in a basin. Sugar is poured on top of the apricots, followed by another layer of fruit and sugar, etc.

Fruits with sugar should be left for 5-8 hours (overnight is possible) to form juice. This jam is prepared according to the “five-minute” principle. The basin must be put on the fire, brought to a boil and held for another 5 minutes, then removed from the heat. Let stand for 24 hours.

There should be 3 such “five minutes”, that is, it will take 3 days to make the jam.

After the last “five minutes”, the jam is poured hot into prepared sterile jars and rolled up with lids.

With bones

A special feature of the dish is its ability to be stored for several years. For 1 kg of fruit you will need 600 g of granulated sugar and 300-400 ml of water.

Apricots need to be sorted, washed and dried a little. Make a syrup from sugar and water and pour it over the apricots, then simmer for a quarter of an hour. After removing the future jam from the heat, you need to cool it for a couple of hours, and then return it to the heat and simmer until thickened. Pour into sterile jars.

From oranges and currants

Apricot jam with the addition of oranges and currants will become not only an unusual dessert, but also a real “killer” remedy against colds, since each of its components contains a large amount of vitamin C.

To prepare it you need:

• 1.5 kg of fresh apricots;
• 2 oranges;
• 250 g red currants;
• gelatin packaging;
• 2 kg sugar.

Prepare the apricots (sort, wash, remove the drupes, cut into halves), put the zest and peeled slices of 1 orange in a basin and cover with sugar. Let it cook for 1 hour, and then add gelatin diluted according to the instructions. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes. After the specified time, you need to put the currants, peeled from stalks and branches, into the jam and cook for 5 minutes. Carefully, so as not to damage the integrity of the fruit, transfer to sterile jars.

With peanuts

Adding nuts makes the taste of apricot jam even more authentic and piquant. At the same time, its preparation does not require much time and effort. Compound:

• 2 kg apricots;
• 5-6 glasses of sugar;
• 150 g peeled peanuts;
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice.

Prepare apricots as described in the previous recipe. If the peanuts have skins, they need to be removed. It is easier to do this by pouring boiling water over the nuts and leaving them in the water for a quarter of an hour. After this, drain the water and peel the peel.

Add apricots, lemon juice and peanuts, add sugar and leave for 3 hours. Then bring to a boil and simmer for another half hour, skimming off the foam. Pour into jars.

Due to the high sugar content in fruits, apricots can be cooked without adding granulated sugar. The resulting dish will be less caloric. Prepared apricots should be placed in a basin and filled with a small amount of water so that they do not burn (about half a glass of water is required for 1 kg of apricots). You need to cook the fruits for about 20-30 minutes until they acquire a uniform consistency of puree with pieces. After this, remove the foam and pour into jars.

Compote

You need to prepare compote from ripe apricots that have retained their density. Their skin should not have cracks or damage. If you use damaged or overripe fruits, the compote will turn out cloudy.

The simplest recipe, according to which even an inexperienced housewife will get a delicious drink, is the following. To prepare it you will need 800 g of apricots, 200 g of sugar and 2.5 liters of water.

Prepare the apricots by washing and dividing into pitted halves, placing in pre-sterilized jars and adding boiled water. After 15 minutes, pour the water from the cans into a saucepan and, adding sugar there, prepare the syrup. Pour this hot syrup over the fruits again and seal the jars with lids.

Apricot compote with rum

Ingredients:

• 3 kg of dense apricots;
• 1 kg sugar;
• 1.5 liters of water
• rum or cognac to taste (usually a tablespoon per liter of drink is enough).

Dip the washed fruits into boiling water for a couple of minutes, and then immediately pour over ice. This type of blanching allows you to remove the skin, which is what needs to be done. Then the apricots are cut into halves, and the pit is separated from the pulp.

Place the resulting pulp in sterile jars and fill with syrup, pre-cooked from water and sugar. The syrup should be hot, almost boiling. Lastly, just before seaming, add alcohol and seal the containers with compote.

Jam

Apricot jam fully preserves the taste and aroma of the fruit, although, of course, some of the beneficial components are destroyed during heat treatment. The finished jam can be served as an independent dessert, or added to cottage cheese and pancakes in baked goods.

To make jam you will need 2 kg of apricots, 1.5 kg of granulated sugar and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. For jam, you should take only ripe and even slightly overripe fruits. They need to be peeled, the seeds removed and cut into halves, then covered with sugar and left in this form for 5 hours.

After the specified time, stir the mixture, add lemon juice and put on fire for a quarter of an hour. During this time, the fruits will become soft; they will need to be pureed using a blender.

After this, you need to cook the jam, stirring it constantly for an hour and a half until it thickens. You can check readiness by dropping jam onto a plate. When cooling, it should not spread. Place the finished jam into sterilized jars and close with a lid.

Apricot jam can also be prepared in a slow cooker by taking equal amounts of fruit and sugar. The washed fruits are cut in half, the seeds are removed and placed in a multicooker bowl and covered with sugar. They should be left in this form for 3-4 hours until the apricots release their juice.

As soon as there is enough of this liquid, you need to start the “Baking” mode by setting the timer for 60 minutes. It is better not to close the lid or open it periodically to stir the brew and remove the foam.

At the end of the program, cool the jam completely, then repeat the procedure (boil for an hour, cool). Finally, make a third hour-long “run,” then transfer the hot jam into prepared jars.

If you like a more homogeneous consistency, then after the first cooking you need to punch the mixture with a blender or grind through a sieve.

Urbech

Urbech is a pasta that is a national Dagestan dish. The raw materials for its preparation can be peanuts, pumpkin seeds, as well as walnuts and poppy seeds. You can prepare it from ground apricot kernels. The result is a nutritious paste that can quickly restore strength. The high content of oils, iron, and calcium makes urbech a useful product for vegetarians, who cannot always obtain these substances in the required quantities from foods of plant origin.

Urbech helps improve digestion, relieves constipation, and normalizes metabolism. In addition, taking the paste is a prevention of helminthiasis. The product has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Since urbech is prepared using ground kernels and honey, it is quite high in calories. People suffering from obesity and anyone watching their figure should reduce the dosage of the paste. You should not eat Urbech if you are allergic to bee products and honey.

Finally, uncontrolled eating of pasta can cause diarrhea and attacks of nausea. Daily dosage – 2 tablespoons for adults, 1 – for children.

The paste can be spread on toast, added to cereals and baked goods, and salads.

Not the whole bone is used, but the nucleolus extracted from it. It's easier to buy them ready-made. In Dagestan, these kernels are ground with special millstones. At home, you will have to grind them with a pestle until an oily paste appears. This process is labor-intensive and time-consuming. You can also find ready-made ground apricot kernels on sale, usually called “urbech”. An important point is that the composition should not contain other additives.

Based on ground apricot kernels, you can prepare a delicate creamy paste. It consists of the mentioned ground product, honey and butter. All ingredients are taken in equal quantities and mixed thoroughly. Then put on low heat and bring to a boil, but do not boil. Mix again and cool. Urbech is ready to eat, it has a silky texture and a soft, slightly sweet taste with a creamy aftertaste.

Sunny, velvety, tender yellow fruits are the very first messengers of a warm summer, giving a person natural vitamins, therefore, as soon as the season of ripe fruits begins, be sure to stock them, since apricots are unique in their content of many irreplaceable biological substances, elements that many fruits and vegetables do not have especially rich. Only apricots are the undisputed leaders in the content of manganese, iodine and boron, which is great for preventing thyroid diseases, as well as carotene - a unique vitamin of growth, renewal of every small cell of the human body. What are the benefits and harms of apricots? The Eco-Life website is being sorted out.

The special value of the fruits is explained by the content of a record amount of vitamins and biological active elements that affect the improvement of health:

• group A, which ensures excellent metabolism, accelerates growth and renewal of new young cells and tissues. Yellow apricots, saturated with provitamin A, mean excellent vision and hearing, beautiful skin, thick curls, healthy teeth;
• vitamin provides the body with a healthy nervous system, elastic muscles and blood vessels, excellent blood composition, high hemoglobin. Apricots help rid the body of excess cholesterol, tissue regeneration, due to the release of unnecessary fat deposits, thereby preventing the development of obesity and oncology;
• is a strong antioxidant that provides immune protection against stress of any kind: physical and mental. Apricots are a good prevention of many diseases: anemia, vitamin deficiency, rickets, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases;
• solar vitamin D from fruits is responsible for the proper development of the skeletal and nervous systems of children and protects older people from the occurrence of cancer cells;
• prolongs the life and youth of cells, saves from heart and vascular diseases, promotes clarity of thinking, as it has a positive effect on the growth and renewal of brain tissue. Apricots are a panacea for early aging, atherosclerosis, strokes, and heart attacks;
• sweet fruits are very rich in natural acids: tartaric, citric, malic. They are saturated with easy-to-digest sugars, as well as inulin, which is important for stabilizing proper metabolism; it prevents the formation of fat deposits, which is why smoothies, cocktails, and juices with apricots are so popular among athletes;
• The main advantage of apricots is their high content of compounds, manganese, phosphorus, and boron. Thanks to the harmonious combination of mineral elements, fruits are a panacea for the prevention of heart disorders, vascular insufficiency, thyroid diseases, and anemia. The lack of minerals can be easily compensated with 1 glass of apricot juice per day or 5-6 small ripe fruits.

Many people are interested in how many calories are in an apricot. Very little, only 41-45 kcal per 100 g. Therefore, nutritionists recommend fresh fruits, compotes, juices (without sugar) for weight loss and creating an ideal figure. Apricots are a great combination of maximum vitamins, minerals and minimum calories.

How to prepare apricots for the winter

It is advisable to eat apricots fresh, ripe, when they release their healing substances to the maximum, but their ripening season is short. In order to preserve the beneficial properties of apricots as much as possible, the fruits need to be harvested for future use in a cold way, without prolonged exposure to hot steam, heat, or ultra-high temperatures. Fruits can be dried, frozen, canned.

The most correct drying process is considered to be drying them in the sun. To do this, the fruits are laid out in a sieve and exposed to hot rays for 3 to 4 days (they must be brought under the roof at night). The next step is to hang the sieves in the shade in a draft until completely dry. Apricots become very attractive in appearance, aromatic, tasty, and fully retain their nutritional and vitamin benefits.

Which is better. The seeds of small fruits need not be removed, but large ones are divided into halves; the seeds of ripe apricots fall out on their own. Then the product is placed in portions into bags, containers or trays made of food-grade plastic under a tight lid, and placed in the freezer. Economy option: several times in a thin layer on a cutting board, quickly frozen, then pour everything into a bag. Remember that you cannot defrost or refreeze apricots; all their beneficial properties will be lost.

How to preserve. You can make “raw jam” and simply candied apricots with lemon, orange or tangerine. For 1 kg of apricot you need 0.5 kg of lemons or oranges without peel. Pass in a meat grinder, mix thoroughly with 1.5 kg of sugar, place in sterilized small jars, cover with nylon lids, and put in the refrigerator. Candied fruits are very tasty and aromatic, they are no less healthy than fresh ones, and almost completely retain all their healing properties.

Contraindications

When apricots are not beneficial, but harmful:

1. Fresh fruits should not be eaten before meals if the stomach is empty, or after fatty heavy meals.
2. People with diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas need to completely exclude them from their diet.
3. Sweet varieties should not be eaten if you have diabetes.
4. In some cases, diarrhea or allergies may occur if you eat a lot of fruit at once, be careful.

WHAT IS APRICOT USEFUL FOR?

How many epithets and poetic words have been said about apricot - “sunny fruit”, “storehouse of carotene”, “treasury of microelements”. Despite this, apricot is, first of all, a juicy summer fruit that adults and children adore.

Unlike most of its relatives, apricot is a universal plant: its fruits are used without residue, that is, both the pulp and the core of the stone. And recently, cosmetology has begun to use the woody part of the seeds, which in crushed form is added to scrubs and massage creams.

SYSTEMATICS

Currently, apricot is classified in the genus Prunus of the Rosaceae family, but previously it was classified as a separate genus Apricot (Armeniaca). This name for apricot – Armeniaca vulgaris – can still be found today; it is a synonym and is used in scientific and popular science sources.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

The chemical composition of different varieties of apricot can differ significantly; sometimes these differences can be seen visually, sometimes determined by taste, and sometimes only by laboratory analysis. For example, the brighter the color of the fruit, and the more pronounced the orange color in it, the more carotene it contains - a precursor of vitamin A. In light yellow apricots, the so-called pineapple varieties, there is 2.5 - 3 times less carotene.

Pulp

The pulp of apricot fruit contains various carbohydrates, including monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. The main carbohydrate is sucrose, the amount of which in ripe fruits can reach almost 30%. In wild varieties of fruits, the percentage of sucrose is much lower, only 5–10%.

Polysaccharides contained in small quantities are represented by starch, inulin, dextrin and pectin.

Organic acids in the composition of ripe apricot fruits:
lemon;
wine;
apple;
phenolic (salicylic).

Both fresh and dry apricot fruits contain flavonoids, in particular quercetin, the pigment lycopene and quite a lot of tannins - up to 1%.

Vitamins are represented mainly by vitamins B1 (thiamine), B3 (nicotinic acid), E and a small amount of C. Vitamins also include carotene, which is provitamin A and can be converted into retinol in the body. In terms of the amount of carotene, apricot ranks first among fruits in the temperate climate zone.

It is worth keeping in mind that with a large lack of vitamin A in the body, as well as with some diseases associated with vitamin deficiency, for example, thyroid dysfunction, apricots do not help solve the problem, since carotene in this case is either not absorbed, or the amount of retinol produced is not enough.

Microelements are represented by potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and iodine.

Bones

Apricot kernels are rich in fatty acids (oleic and linoleic), which are part of apricot oil. Its content, like the amount of other substances, varies greatly: 30 – 67%. The seeds contain amygdalin - a glycoside characteristic of the Plum genus, enzymes and hydrocyanic acid, the content of which can differ in different varieties by 3-4 times.

The core of apricot kernels - kernels - is used not only in cosmetics and medicine, but also eaten, which is not typical of any other related crop.

POSITIVE EFFECT OF APRICOT FRUITS ON THE BODY

Apricot is useful for the prevention and treatment of many diseases - this is an example of how medicine can be tasty and healthy at the same time.

Apricot pulp, rich in potassium salts, restores this essential trace element and helps with:
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- disorders of excretory function in the kidneys;
- problems with blood pressure (to normalize it);
- provides potassium ions for the operation of the sodium-potassium cellular pump;
- normalizes osmotic pressure and salt balance.

Apricot is also useful for the digestive system: plant fibers, which the human body cannot digest, serve as food for anaerobic bacteria living in the large intestine. And the symbiotic intestinal microflora suppresses the growth of pathogenic microbes, improves digestion and stimulates the immune system.

Fresh, processed and dried apricot fruits improve intestinal motility and have a laxative effect, helping to fight constipation naturally, without the use of pills.

Apricot also directly activates the immune system, and antioxidant substances bind and remove free radicals, thereby preventing aging and the development of cancer cells. In addition to oxidative processes, apricots are useful in that they remove “harmful” cholesterol and toxic substances from the blood, while the cholesterol needed by the body remains in the tissues.

By influencing the functioning of the kidneys, fresh apricot fruits and their juice improve the removal of salts from cells and excess fluid from tissues, thereby reducing swelling.

Iodine, which is abundant in dry and fresh fruits, is part of the thyroid hormone (thyroxine). And iodine is indispensable for the formation of thyroxine, which affects metabolism, development, growth, brain activity, and oxidative processes in cells.

Apricots are useful for increasing the overall tone of the body. They are often recommended for those who engage in mental work or actively study, in particular students and schoolchildren.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Any varieties of apricot, regardless of the percentage of components, have a positive effect on the body. The exception is people with individual intolerance to these fruits or allergic reactions to components, for example, lycopene.

Apricots are contraindicated for patients with gout, people with high stomach acidity, peptic ulcers and pancreatitis.

People with chronic heart disease or heart rhythm disorders should only consume apricots after consulting a doctor. And patients with diabetes should not overuse dried apricots (dried apricots), since they contain a very high percentage of sucrose: 70 - 85%.

Every year I make large quantities of apricot jam. Firstly, it is so tasty that a half-liter jar goes at a time. Secondly, very easy to prepare, seedless apricot jam recipe for the winter is not at all labor-intensive. Apricot fruits are large, the seeds are easy to remove, and literally in ten minutes you can easily prepare a kilogram of fruit. Thirdly, it stores well. Although the third point need not be mentioned - there are rarely even one or two jars left until the next harvest.

My recipe for seedless apricot jam requires short cooking three times. We cook for a couple of minutes, then the jam infuses for several hours, gaining color and taste.

Ingredients

To make apricot jam for the winter you will need:

• dense ripe apricots – 1 kg;
• granulated sugar – 1 kg.

How to make jam from pitted apricots. Recipe for the winter

For the jam, I selected dense, ripe fruits, not very large. When cooked, apricots are well soaked in syrup and do not become overcooked. It is better to leave soft or damaged ones for jam; there will definitely be a recipe, but a little later.

Washed it, cut it in half along the relief groove. I threw out the pits - they are not needed in this apricot jam recipe. There are varieties in which the pit is difficult to separate and cannot be removed without damaging the pulp. Also leave such fruits for jam or trim the flesh with a knife, although in this case the pieces may not remain intact after cooking.

Cut each half into two slices. If the apricots are small, I leave them in halves.

Placed the fruit in a large bowl and covered it with sugar. The fruits do not look particularly juicy, but they release a lot of juice, so take more dishes.

Covered with a towel and left overnight. All the sugar did not dissolve, but so much syrup was formed that the slices almost drowned in it.

Carefully poured the syrup into the pan, spooned the apricots and sugar from the bottom. For cooking, I advise you to take a deep, wide saucepan or basin; my apricot jam almost escaped when boiling. Heated it over low heat.

As soon as the syrup boiled, a lot of foam rose, well, a lot! It is more convenient to collect with a pouring spoon or a small scoop. When the foam settles, it will thicken, and underneath there will be syrup. It can be poured back into the pan or eaten. Having collected the foam, cook at a gentle simmer for two to three minutes. This time is enough for the slices to soften without losing their integrity. I turn it off and cover the jam with a lid. I leave it to steep overnight.

Advice. If you want the syrup to be thicker, cover the bowl with the jam with a towel or gauze so that the liquid evaporates.

This is what the jam looked like in the morning. The apricots released juice, which colored the syrup golden-amber, the slices became soft, soaked in a fragrant mixture of juice and melted sugar.

I do the second cooking over low heat. At the beginning of boiling, foam may rise again, but it will already be thick and sticky. I remove the foam and cook with barely noticeable bubbling for three to five minutes. It is not advisable to stir the apricot jam; it is better to shake the pan or stir with a wooden spatula.

I keep the jam until the evening or 10-12 hours. After steeping, the syrup will become thicker and darker, but will remain transparent. The slices will be denser and will sink to the bottom.

The third time I cook again on low heat for five minutes. I adjust the heat so that the boil is very low. I prepared the jars in advance: I washed them in a hot soda solution, then thoroughly under running water and heated them over steam. I boiled the lids in a ladle for five minutes. It is more convenient to spread apricot jam into jars with a small ladle or tablespoon, prying up the slices and scooping up the syrup. He screwed the lids on the filled containers, turned them on their sides and wrapped them in a blanket.

A day later I put it away for storage. We have jars of jam on shelves in the pantry and are perfectly stored at room temperature.

If you do not plan long-term storage, then place the cooled jam in clean, dry containers and put it in the refrigerator.

From the quantity of products indicated in the recipe, two 700-gram jars were obtained and there was still a little left for testing. The syrup is sweet, with barely noticeable sourness and a strong apricot aroma; the slices are soft, but not boiled. Be sure to prepare seedless apricot jam for the winter, you’ll see - it will be one of the first to run out. Good luck and delicious preparations to you! Your Plyushkin.

Apricots in a dream can be a harbinger of both good and bad events in life. Why apricots are dreamed of depends on the form in which the fruits appear, what the dreamer will do with them and what feelings they will experience.

Why do you dream about apricots: the appearance of the fruit

Seeing a lot of ripe apricots, smelling their pleasant aroma and experiencing joy at the same time means good news and the successful completion of some important undertaking.

Rotten, spoiled fruits foreshadow grief and major troubles. You need to prepare for a long period of setbacks, dashed hopes and failed plans. A dream in which you tasted fruit and felt its sour, bitter or simply unpleasant, unnatural taste has the same meaning.

Why do you dream of dried or sun-dried apricots? This is a harbinger of suffering and grief. There may be an approaching illness or dramatic event that will affect your appearance.

Pay attention to the time of year when you had a dream about apricots. If this is the season when these fragrant fruits really ripen, then everything is fine: a dream about apricots during their harvest is very favorable, promising joy and profit. Why do you dream about apricots out of season? If the dream came during the cold season, when in reality the fruits are not harvested, everything is not so rosy. You need to prepare for the fact that even well-started business will end in failure, and very real plans will collapse. A person who sees apricots out of season will face grief and tears, troubles and losses, annoying delays and losses.

Seeing apricot trees in bloom means the presence in the dreamer’s life of reasonable hopes for a bright future. This dream is especially favorable for people who are experiencing a period of prolonged stagnation, a streak of failure. The dream foretells that all troubles will soon be a thing of the past, and a new sun of good luck and long-awaited happiness will rise on the horizon. If the dreamer is planning a move, it will end successfully.

If you see a lot of ripe, beautiful fruits on an apricot tree, then success in your planned or already implemented enterprise is guaranteed. If the undertaking or plans are related to finance, then they will definitely bring large profits that will meet expectations and even exceed them.

A lonely apricot tree without fruit can mean deception in hopes of prosperity and happiness, a seal, longing for something unfulfilled, or an imminent separation from a loved one. A dried apricot tree promises a break in relationships or the death of a loved one.

Why do you dream about apricots: actions with fruits

Collect apricots from green, beautiful, healthy trees- a sign of a stable high income, a quick and very successful resolution of your endeavor. There is no need to worry about the outcome of what is planned: all tasks will be completed on time, and problems will be resolved to the complete well-being and joy of the dreamer.

If the dreamer collects apricot fruits into the container intended for this (basket, bucket, etc.), then his mental and physical state is optimal, he is in harmony with the world. Why take pictures of apricots that have fallen from the tree? If the fruits are lying on the ground, then picking them means bad news: all expectations will be in vain. Even if the goal is achieved, it will bring neither benefit nor joy.

Eating ripe, delicious apricots brings joy and prosperity. On the contrary, sour or spoiled - to illness, shame and the collapse of all hopes. Eating dried apricots means unpleasant chores that may end in nothing or not bring the desired result. Overeating on apricots does not bode well in any case: excessive consumption of fruits means trouble in work, relationships, and business.

Seeing other people eating apricot fruits means a waste of time. The environment will not bring you any joy or benefit, time is wasted, things are not done or have no future.

Eating apricots and not feeling any taste means that in life you will be disappointed with something. This may be due to the dreamer’s excessive gullibility: he should adequately assess his surroundings, get rid of rose-colored glasses and try to minimize the consequences of his rash actions or unreasonable stupid gullibility. Reconsider your relationship with your immediate environment and colleagues: somewhere you are making a big mistake.

Why do you dream about apricots that the dreamer sells? If they are ripe, then it means a successful business project or enrichment. Perhaps the dreamer will receive an unexpected profit or gain an additional source of income. Seeing that someone else is selling apricots means a happy coincidence.

Buy ripe apricots means a profitable investment of money or other resources (time, effort, feelings, etc.). Perhaps you will be able to organize a successful business or invest a large sum of money profitably.

If in a dream you steal apricots, then some person has a negative influence on you. This may cause problems in the future, so you need to reconsider your relationships with others, begin to adequately evaluate information, and abandon imposed authority.

Why do women dream about apricots?

If a girl in a dream enjoys the sweet, honey taste of ripe apricots, Strong, true love, romantic dates, long-awaited success in the love field await her. Why would a married woman wear apricots? There will be happiness and deep peace if the fruits are beautiful and ripe. Her life and well-being are not in danger.

If a girl or woman picks apricot fruits from a tree, her love affair or romantic interest has no future. The relationship will end and will not be serious.

Plant an apricot tree or apricot pit- a harbinger of pregnancy and the birth of a girl. If a girl sees a flowering tree in winter, she will have an unsuccessful marriage.

If a woman sees her husband or lover eating apricots, The couple will face a period of mutual discontent, quarrels, and omissions. If serious efforts are not made, the relationship may end.

Lonely apricot tree, seen by a woman or girl, means that her marriage will be unsuccessful, filled with tears and disappointments.

Why do men dream about apricots?

If a man in a dream eats a sour or simply tasteless apricot, then in reality he needs to carefully analyze his environment and find the person who is preventing him from realizing his potential. This person may not be an open enemy, but his influence is strong and negative. Perhaps the enemy is secretly harming the dreamer, and soon everything will be revealed.

A man who eats a juicy and tasty apricot in a dream may become interested in some woman. If he is married, infatuation will lead to adultery. Freud in his dream book described this situation as a meeting (in reality) with a young, inexperienced girl who would turn a man’s head and arouse strong sexual desire. Despite the inexperience of the partner, the dreamer will enjoy intimacy with her.

If a man sees apricots out of season, problems may await him at work or in business. Crushing ripe fruits with your hands means that the dreamer will miss a good chance. This dream can serve as a warning: be more careful with people and chances! A dream about picking green apricots has the same meaning: problems at work will be caused by inexperience or incorrect prioritization.

There are quite a few varieties of apricots, but visually they are not much different. Differences may be in the size or color of the skin, but a ripe apricot is always an orange fruit with a uniform color and characteristic shape.

Apricot color can be:

• completely orange;
• completely yellow;
• orange or yellow with reddish areas.

The color of the skin does not affect the taste of these fruits. A ripe apricot should have a fleshy consistency, smooth and thin skin. There should be no wrinkles or depressions on it. In rare cases, on the shelves you can see varieties of apricots with a yellowish-green skin color. Such fruits will be ripe, but before purchasing them, you need to check with the seller about the nuances of the variety of these apricots.

How to choose apricots

When selecting apricots, a careful visual assessment of the fruit must be carried out. They should be dry, brightly colored and free of signs of rotting or disease. In addition, you need to evaluate the aroma of the fruit and the density of the fruit.

What kind of apricots can you buy?:

• ripe apricot has an even color without any spots or dots (reddish or yellowish areas are allowed);
• The ripeness of an apricot can be judged by the presence of a characteristic aroma, which is noticeable even through the skin;
• the surface of the apricot should be completely dry without the slightest sign of moisture;
• the brighter the color of the apricot, the higher the level of its ripeness (the exception is fruits that are too bright; in this case, the use of dyes or excessive amounts of chemicals is possible);
• when pressing on the skin, the apricot should not be deformed, its surface should have sufficient elasticity;
• the surface of the apricot must be free of cracks and mechanical damage (such signs are distinguished by overripe fruits, apricots that were improperly stored or transported, and damage will shorten the shelf life and accelerate the rotting process);
• the surface of the apricot can be smooth or velvety (this nuance does not affect the ripeness of the fruit, but the variety plays a key role);
• in a ripe apricot, the pit separates from the pulp, remaining smooth;
• The aroma of a ripe apricot should be sweet without any foreign odors.

Which apricots should you not buy?:

• brown spots and dents on the apricot indicate rotting of the fruit (the depressions indicate the beginning of rotting inside the fruit, and spots indicate their final unsuitability for food);
• green spots indicate the unripeness of the apricot (at home, the fruit can ripen, but its taste will be impaired to some extent, and the amount of juice will decrease);
• An apricot that is too hard will be unripe, and a soft one will be an overripe fruit;
• apricots with numerous cracks, scratches or signs of damage by rodents are not worth buying (such fruits will spoil quickly, and harmful substances that accidentally get into the pulp can harm health and digestion);
• It is not recommended to buy crushed apricots (such fruits will not only have impaired taste characteristics, but will also completely lack beneficial properties);
• if wrinkles appear on the surface of the apricot, then this nuance indicates that it has been stored for too long and, most likely, incorrectly (the pulp of such a fruit will not be juicy);
• the unripe apricot pit is difficult to separate from the pulp;
• if the apricot aroma contains foreign odors (mold, dampness, grass), then you should not buy them (such fruits were either stored incorrectly or have begun to deteriorate).

If after purchasing apricots it turns out that some fruits are not ripe, then they can be eaten in the form of compote. These fruits can be used for baking. They are not suitable for jam, because unripe fruits most often cause premature mold to appear, but they are ideal for preservation.

A friend told me this recipe. Previously, I had no idea that walnuts could also be preserved for the winter along with apricots. This jam goes great with tea and a sandwich with butter.

Walnuts in apricot jam are so tasty that I first pick out all the nuts from the jar, and then start eating the jam itself. Therefore, I select the ingredients according to the principle “the more nuts, the better.”

Here is a list of the minimum amount of ingredients:

1 kg apricot (pitted)
- 300g shelled walnuts (or 1 kg unshelled)
- 600g sugar

I made jam for 8 kg apricots. I provide photos of the ingredients “in miniature”.

Cooking time: 4-5 hours (excluding breaks in cooking - 2-3 days)
Difficulty: medium

I remove the pits from apricots. This time I was lucky - the bone came off easily.

I sprinkle the fruit with sugar.

I stir. I leave it for several hours so that the apricots release their juice. This time I left it overnight.

Bring to a boil over low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. I let it sit for a few hours. I bring it to a boil again and boil it a little.

And I repeat this procedure for the third time. The fruits were slightly greenish, with dense pulp, so without much effort the apricot halves remained intact and did not become overcooked.

I peel the required amount of nuts.

So I'm clearing out all of my nut stock from last year, preparing the pantry for the new harvest.

I break very large pieces of kernels in half.

I bring the jam to a boil for the fourth time and add the nut kernels.
I stir. This is the last brew.

The jam boils for about 20 minutes along with the nuts.

I pour it hot into pre-sterilized jars and seal it. The jam still needs to sit so that the walnuts are well soaked in the apricot syrup.

So you’ll have to look forward to winter or look for another excuse to enjoy such an amazing dessert.

Apricot jam with kiwi

This is the most unusual recipe for making apricot jam, which has an original and very pleasant taste.

Compound:
- 450 grams of kiwi,
- 1.3 kilograms of apricot,
- 130 grams of brandy,
- Gelatin,
- A few tablespoons of citric acid,
- 1.6 kilograms of sugar,

Preparation:
Kiwis and apricots need to be peeled and pitted. Cut the apricots and kiwis into small pieces of the same size, after which the fruits need to be covered with sugar so that they are completely covered with it, add a little citric acid and put them on the fire to cook. Bring the mixture to a full boil and cook the jam for another ten minutes, stirring the jam all the time. Dissolve a little gelatin in water and pour into the jam, and bring to a boil one more time. When the apricot jam is completely ready, you need to remove it from the stove, add brandy, mix everything and put it in pre-prepared jars.

Easiest to prepare apricot jam recipe which is given below, does not require special skills and knowledge.
To prepare it you will need:
- 1 kg of ripe and juicy apricots;
- 1.4 kg granulated sugar;
- 3 grams of citric acid;
- 0.5 l. water.

The fragrant apricots are thoroughly washed and punctures are made in several places with a wooden toothpick (or a wooden pin). Then the prepared fruits are placed in boiling water for one minute, after which they are quickly cooled. Small apricots can be boiled whole, large fruits will need to be divided in half along the groove in advance, removing the pit.

Apricots are poured with pre-prepared sugar syrup and boiled in several steps: fruits with seeds - in 3-4 steps at intervals, without seeds - in 2 steps.
During preparation of the jam, it is recommended to add citric acid so that later the delicacy does not become sugary and lose its taste.

Another popular recipe for apricot jam will require:

1 kg of ripe fruits;
- 1 kg of sugar;
- 0.5 teaspoons of citric acid.

Fragrant ripe apricots will need to be sorted, washed thoroughly in running water, dried on a napkin, pits removed and divided into parts along the groove. Then place the fruit halves on the bottom of a cooking vessel with wide and low sides, cups up, and cover with granulated sugar so that all the halves are filled with sugar. Next, lay another layer of apricots and cover with sugar again. Do this until all the fruits are in the cooking vessel. After completing all the work, the dishes with apricots sprinkled with sugar must be left for a day.

Next, place the container with apricots on the fire and, stirring gently, dissolve the sugar remaining on the surface. Bring the jam to a boil over low heat, constantly skimming off any foam that appears. About half an hour before removing the jam from the heat, add citric acid to it and mix well.

Unusual apricot jam with ginger, almonds and carrots

For this beautiful, unusual and very tasty jam you will need 100 grams of peeled and grated carrots, 600 grams of fresh apricots, 5 centimeter grated piece of ginger, 400 grams of powdered sugar, juice from one lemon, 50 grams of chopped almonds.

Place the grated carrots in a saucepan and add 300 ml of water, bring to a boil, and then simmer until the carrots are soft. Cut the apricots in half, remove the pit and add to the boiled carrots. Cook everything together for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ginger, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Bring the jam to a boil and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Place almonds in hot jam. Let it cool slightly and put it into sterilized jars.

Over one year old

Apricots are very tasty fruits with a pleasant aroma, which, in addition, have many advantages. From these fruits you can prepare many delicious dishes - pies and pies, jelly, juice, compote and jam.

With winter approaching, many housewives make preparations - canning vegetables, making jam. Apricot jam is one of the most delicious, and its beautiful color and wonderful aroma make it even more tempting.

In general, making apricot jam is not at all difficult. Let's look at a few recipes.

Ripe apricot jam recipe

How exactly to make jam is a matter of taste; each housewife has her own recipe or even several. Some people like jam made from slightly unripe fruits, others prefer a tasty treat made from ripe apricots. So, jam from ripe apricots.

Traditionally, a kilogram of sugar is taken per kilogram of fruit, but in this case the jam will be very sweet, so you can put 700-800 grams of sugar per kilogram of apricot. Choose fruits in which the pit is easily separated from the pulp, otherwise peeling the apricot from the pits will turn into torture.

Apricots need to be thoroughly washed, pitted and placed in the container where you are going to cook them. Sprinkle the ripe fruits with sugar and leave them overnight to release their juice. The next day, the jam needs to be boiled for the first time.

If you get a lot of it, it is better to cook it in an aluminum basin or bowl; in an enamel bowl it can burn. If you are boiling a kilogram of fruit or a little more, an enamel bowl will do. You can start cooking the jam over high heat, and when it boils, reduce the heat. The fruits need to be stirred periodically so that the mass is homogeneous. Usually, for the first time, it is enough to boil the jam for 15 minutes.

The second time you can boil it on the same day in the evening or the next day, also cook for 15 minutes. If you are boiling several kilograms of apricots in a large container, it will take longer to cook.

Ripe fruits are boiled and something like apricot jam is obtained. Immediately after you have boiled the jam a second time, you need to roll it into jars (previously sterilized) and leave to cool. Both metal and plastic lids can be used. To prevent the jam from turning sour and causing mold, the lids should be dipped in boiling water for a couple of seconds; for this it is convenient to use metal tweezers.

Some housewives, before rolling up the finished jam, sprinkle a small amount of sugar on top of it, right in the jar, and then roll it up or cover it with a plastic lid. This also helps prevent mold.

Unripe fruit jam

There are also many fans of this version of apricot jam. During the cooking process, unripe fruits do not boil down like ripe ones, but remain whole. They harden slightly and float in a very tasty apricot syrup, so both described options are very good in their own way. We choose under no circumstances green apricots, but simply firm ones, but already juicy and having the taste of a ripe fruit. Wash, remove seeds, place in a cooking container and cover with sugar. Unlike ripe apricots, unripe fruits will release little or no juice.

This jam can be left overnight, or you can add a little boiled water to a basin or bowl and immediately start cooking. As the jam heats up, it must be stirred thoroughly so that the sugar dissolves in the water and the fruits begin to release juice over time. Once you have boiled it enough, leave the jam to cool until next time. In the evening of the same day or the next day, the jam must be boiled again, put into jars immediately after cooking and closed.

There is another tempting cooking option for lazy housewives. If you have time and want to make the jam a little unusual, you can do the following. After you have boiled the jam for the first time and are going to cook it a second time, remove the fruits from the cooking container and transfer them to another. Start cooking only the syrup separately; when you have boiled it for 10-15 minutes, add the fruits to the hot syrup.

You can boil it in syrup for a couple of minutes or immediately turn off the gas. In this case, the jam should brew a little. The result will be something like candied fruits - the fruits will be hard, soaked in syrup, and you will get a very tasty and unusual apricot jam.

Another option is apricot jam.

Ripe fruits are more suitable for jam; you can also mix them with slightly unripe ones, this will not make the jam any worse. Apricots need to be washed, pitted and ground in a meat grinder. Mix the resulting mass with sugar in a 1:1 ratio. You can add less sugar if you don’t like it too sweet

You need to start cooking the jam on low heat; it is much more likely to burn than preserves. It can be boiled once, only thoroughly, for 20-25 minutes. To guarantee, you can boil the mass twice, just try not to overcook it. In this case, the color of the jam will be very dark and an unpleasant aftertaste may appear.

After the cooking is finished, the jam should be put into jars and rolled up, just like preserves.

Apricot jam with lemon and orange

Apricot goes well with citrus fruits, so you can cook this combination option. For a kilogram of fruit you will need one lemon and one orange. Wash the citrus fruits; there is no need to peel them. Then we grind them in a meat grinder and add them to the washed and peeled apricots. Next, cook the jam according to the above scheme, stirring thoroughly, skimming off the foam when it boils for the first time.

You can also add walnuts to this jam. You need to add them when the jam boils for the second time and then boil it for another 10-15 minutes. Many people also really like the contents of apricot kernels; instead of throwing away the kernels, you can chop them with a hammer and extract the kernels.

They can be added to jam instead of walnuts. In this case, it will acquire a characteristic aroma and taste. In general, choose any of the options you like and enjoy this wonderful delicacy!

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Almost all people love apricots. There are a huge number of different varieties of this fruit tree. Today we will talk about apricot, the variety of which has an interesting name - Rattle. This article will tell you what the Ragremok apricot is and its benefits.

Description

Rattle is a medium-sized tree with a rounded and sparse crown. This variety is self-fertile. Rattle is a universal variety and can be used for a variety of purposes.

Apricot was bred at the Rossoshansky zonal experimental station. The variety has fairly large fruits, the weight of which can reach 60 grams, but on average the weight of the fruits ranges from 45-50 grams. But on young trees you can expect apricots weighing up to 80 grams. Moreover, the fruits are quite large in size. Externally, apricots are oval-round with slightly compressed sides. The fruits have a yellowish-greenish color. In many descriptions you can find that blush does not form on the sides of the fruit, as in a number of other varieties. Characterized by a sharp drooping of the skin.

In general, the fruits have fairly dense pulp, which is yellow or orange in color. The fruits have a pleasant sweetish taste. Sometimes their taste is sweet and sour. A slight bitterness is also possible. It is thanks to its pleasant taste that this variety has positive reviews and is often grown in the vastness of our country.

The fruit tree has a fairly high yield. But sometimes premature fruit shedding may occur. In any description of this variety you can find information about the average winter hardiness of both the tree itself and its flower buds. The variety is characterized by medium-late ripening. Apricots usually ripen at the end of July or beginning of August. The degree of ripeness of the fruit can be judged by the example of separating the stone from the pulp. For ripe apricots, the pit is easily separated from the pulp. At the same time, it will “rumble” a little inside the fruit when it is tapped against various objects. It is because of this that the variety received the name Rattle. The fruit makes this sound because it is located in a relatively large plane. At the same time, the kernel of the seed tastes bitter.

The description of the variety contains fairly high indicators of the keeping quality of fruits, as well as their transportability.

Apricot varieties can be stored fresh for quite a long time. Moreover, the shelf life can be significantly increased if you wrap each apricot with newspaper or any other paper.

This procedure will prevent the penetration of substances from fruits that have begun to deteriorate onto still normal apricots. This way you will prevent the risk of spoilage of stocks in case of accidental ingestion of overripe fruit.

As for the soil, the Pogremok variety is a low-demanding fruit tree. Since this fruit variety does not have strict requirements for the planting site in terms of soil characteristics, it can be grown on absolutely any soil. Therefore, the choice of soil conditions for growing is not so scrupulous.

But, despite this, it is noted that this tree grows best on well-aerated soils, which contain lime. Experts still recommend, if possible, choosing more favorable soils for planting Gremka seedlings. To plant seedlings, you should choose soils that are richer in nutrients and minerals.

In order to get high yields from your garden every year, you need to choose the right place for planting seedlings. The choice of location for future growth should be based on the requirement that the root system of the tree should not become damp. This should be especially taken into account in the presence of wet soil, as well as in areas with high humidity.

Scheme for planting apricots “on a cone”

When planting seedlings, it is also necessary to take into account lighting, since the variety tends to have good lighting. Therefore, for planting seedlings, you should choose well-lit areas of space where the tree will not be deprived of light throughout the day.

The presence of a rounded crown makes it necessary to take into account the neighbors of apricots, since over time the fruit tree will begin to grow and with its branches can block other plants in your garden from the sun. Before planting a seedling, which is often an annual grafted tree with a developed root system, you need to cut off its upper part by about 50-70 cm. This fruit crop responds well to the application of fertilizers.

The use of moss or wet peat can significantly increase the ability of a seedling to adapt to a new place of growth. You need to wrap the root system of the tree in it when transporting it. In addition, it will be very good if you buy a seedling grown in climatic conditions similar to the future place of growth. This will significantly increase the viability of the apricots. You also need to choose seedlings that have the largest number of roots.

For the variety, in addition to high winter hardiness, excellent drought resistance is also described. As a result, for the Pogremok variety there is no need for additional measures to prepare trees for the winter period. Therefore, Pogremok is grown today in Russia, both in its northern and warm regions. This fruit tree tolerates Russian winters normally, without any complications or difficulties.

Particular attention should be paid to wintering seedlings of young plants. For such trees it is necessary to cover the lower branches for the winter. This is done in order to prevent hares and mice from eating the lower branches of young trees.

As for pruning, the variety responds well to molding pruning. Therefore, it is necessary to form a crown for trees in accordance with the requirements established for all apricots. During favorable periods for pruning, you can trim the upper branches to stimulate further branching of the plant in the future. As the tree grows, special attention should be paid to adjusting its height. In this case, pruning must be done to develop the crown along, avoiding its formation upward. This way you will ensure that the plant becomes stronger and stronger.

Due to its characteristics, the Pogremok variety is quite popular in Russian gardening today and is recommended by experts for planting in gardens as a horticultural crop.

Advantages

The main advantages of the Pogremok variety include the following:

• self-fertility;
• large fruit;
• high productivity;
• high levels of winter hardiness and drought resistance. With the exception of young trees and recently planted seedlings that need to cover the lower branches for the winter;
• excellent taste of fruits;
• versatility of the variety.

Also, the advantages of this apricot include the high transportability of the fruit and its high shelf life. All these advantages, coupled with the tree’s undemanding nature to soil conditions, make it possible to grow apricots almost everywhere.

Usage

Due to the fact that this type of apricot has excellent taste, its fruits are often consumed fresh. High shelf life allows you to eat fresh apricots even on the eve of winter. Moreover, the presence of a slight bitterness is considered by some experts as a piquant highlight of Pogremok.

In addition, apricots can be used to make preserves, jams or compotes. They also make very tasty dried fruits. Many experts recommend such apricots or dried fruits as a dietary or medicinal product.

Thus, taking into account all the information provided regarding the Ragremok apricot, we can conclude that this fruit tree will be an excellent addition to any garden. With proper planting and pruning, the tree can produce a fairly high yield, and the high shelf life of the fruit will allow you to eat fresh apricots even several months after they were harvested.

Video “Apricot care”

In the recording, a man demonstrates how to properly prune an apricot in spring.

plodovie.ru

Pineapple apricot - the best mid-season variety

In modern gardening, a very large number of varieties of apricots have been developed, varied both in appearance and taste of the fruit, and in the nature of the growth and development of the tree itself. But not everyone is very popular. Pineapple apricot is exactly this variety. It has earned the love of gardeners thanks to its fruits with high taste characteristics and abundant yield.

Description of the variety

Pineapple apricot, bred by the State Botanical Garden in Crimea, is a medium-sized tree with a wide, flat-round crown, prone to thickening. Has a satisfactory ability to shoot. It begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting. It mainly bears fruit on annual shoots, overgrowing twigs and fruit twigs. Therefore, for regular fruiting, it is necessary to carry out annual light, rejuvenating pruning of the tree in the spring and pinching out young growth in the spring.

This apricot is a self-fertile variety. Even if a tree is planted as a single tree on a plot, the yield will be high. However, the presence of other varieties of not only apricots, but also plums, peaches, and cherry plums nearby will significantly improve the taste of the fruit.

The average ripening period is the second half of July. After overripeness, the fruits fall off greatly. A more detailed description of this variety can be found in specialized literature.

The fruits are medium and large, weighing 35-45 g. They have an irregularly rounded, oblong shape. The skin is not very dense, medium pubescent. The surface is slightly bumpy and rough. Ripe apricots are matte, light yellow or golden in color, almost without blush. The pulp has a light yellow pineapple color with an orange tint and a pleasant aroma. Very juicy, medium density, soft-fiber, sweet with a special flavor. The seed is small, the seed is sweet.

Advantages

One important advantage of pineapple apricot is its increased resistance to such widespread diseases as leaf curl and clasterosporiasis. It has satisfactory winter hardiness and good drought resistance. Easily and quickly restored after freezing. And the later flowering period in comparison with other varieties allows you to survive spring frosts without risk to flower buds and allow the fruits to ripen relatively quickly in a short time.

In addition, this variety is distinguished by regular fruiting and very high yield - with proper care, you can get up to 130-150 kg of apricot from an adult tree. The fruits are very large, leveled. They have high marketability, taste and are well transportable. However, their shelf life is relatively low - 8-16 days.

The benefits of apricot

Apricots contain a large amount of sugars, pectin, vitamins, organic acids, dextrin, inulin and others. The fruits are especially rich in vitamin C, P, B1, provitamin A, a lot of iron and calcium salts. It is thanks to this composition that it is very useful to consume freshly squeezed apricot juice for young children, pregnant women and people in the postoperative period. Just 120-150 g of juice satisfies the daily requirement for carotene.

In addition, the fruits have a similar effect on hematopoiesis as the liver. Not only fresh apricots, but also dried apricots have a general strengthening effect on the body. The high concentration of potassium salts, sugars, magnesium, phosphorus, and fiber makes this product indispensable for a healthy and active life. Apricots have a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, helping to normalize blood pressure and neuromuscular excitability.

Video “How to plant apricots correctly”

This video covers in detail how to properly plant an apricot tree seedling. The nuances, possible difficulties and common mistakes are considered.

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Description of the apricot variety Northern Triumph with photo

Many people love apricots very much, but it is not always possible to grow this tree in their garden. This is due to many reasons, including climatic conditions. Thanks to breeding work, today it is possible to select a variety that will meet all the climatic and soil requirements of your garden. In this article we will look at a variety such as the Northern Triumph apricot. Here we will look at the description of the variety, its advantages, as well as the features of planting and care.

Description of the variety

Apricot Triumph northern is most common in the Central Black Earth region. It was bred by crossing the apricot varieties Northern Early with Red-cheeked.

Externally, it is a rather vigorous tree, which is characterized by the presence of a wide and spreading crown. Usually the skeletal branches are quite thick. They diverge from the trunk to the sides at an angle of 45 degrees. They contain many branches with numerous, pointed and large leaves.

The tree begins to bear fruit three to four years after planting. Every year the harvest intensity increases. Productivity is high and can reach 64 kg. The weight of the fruit is about 60 g.

The Northern Triumph apricot is characterized by slightly oblong fruits. Apricots are very juicy, aromatic and sweet. Their ripening occurs in mid-summer and towards its end (late July and early August). The stone is large with a sweet kernel. It separates easily from the pulp and is orange in color.

Apricots are oval-round in shape with a medium-thick skin that is slightly omitted. It is orange-yellow in color with small areas of light green or green. Sometimes a dark red or purple blush can be found on the fruits. The skin tastes sour, although the flesh itself is sweet, tender and juicy.

The fruits stick well to the tree and do not fall off in strong winds. Apricots are mainly consumed fresh, but they are also quite suitable for canning.

The tree is considered early-bearing, characterized by periods of productivity that alternate with declines.

The lifespan of a tree is about 25 years. The Triumph Northern apricot variety is characterized by increased resistance to various diseases. The most dangerous diseases for Triumph of the Northern are: cytosporosis, moniliosis, clasterosporiosis and verticillosis. It also has strong resistance to even the most severe frosts. But the flower buds have average winter hardiness. This type of apricot is classified as self-pollinating varieties.

Advantages of the variety

Separately, we should dwell on the advantages of the Northern Triumph, which made it so popular among gardeners.

The main advantages of this type of apricot include:

• rapid onset of fruiting;
• quality taste characteristics of fruits. In addition to its large size, juicy and aromatic pulp, the taste of apricots will delight all lovers of these fruits. Some claim that they taste like almonds;
• strong attachment of apricot to branches;
• this is one of the most reliable varieties grown in the Non-Black Earth Region;
• excellent resistance to spring and winter frosts;
• resistance to most diseases;
• characterized by very beautiful early flowering.

Features of planting and care

The peculiarities of planting this type of fruit tree include the fact that the planting material itself is quite problematic to find, and cultivating it yourself is considered a rather labor-intensive process. You can buy a seedling in a specialized nursery.

When transporting the seedling to the planting site, it is necessary to ensure that the root system does not become chapped or dry out.

The best time to plant a tree is spring. But, in the case when the root system of the seedling is closed, it can be planted in the fall.

Reproduction can be done in two ways: by seeds or by grafting.

Experienced gardeners believe that a tree that has been grown from a seed will be more viable, and its tolerance to temperature changes will increase.

When grown from seed, it is planted in the ground in the summer. In this case, the soil must be moistened periodically. They can also be planted in the spring. It is believed that the optimal time for planting is May.

Before planting, it is necessary to add organic and mineral fertilizers to the soil. The seed is placed at a depth of 0.07 m. After this, the beds must be mulched with peat, humus or sawdust. During the summer period, a seedling can grow one meter. After a year, you can transplant or use it as a graft.

Seedlings need to be planted before the buds break (at the end of April). Planting holes should be prepared in the fall. Their size is 70x70x70. The distance between trees should be about 5 meters. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the hole and soil mixture and fertilizers are added. After planting the apricot, a watering circle is formed near it and 2 buckets of water are poured. Branches can be pinned to the ground with hooks.

After this, caring for the tree consists of periodically trimming excess branches. It is done in early spring. The sections are covered with varnish or paint. There is no need to cover the tree for the winter. Apricots are whitened using whitewash mixed with copper sulfate.

Periodic watering is imperative. The subcortex is carried out during the flowering period and before harvesting.

It is very good to plant nasturtiums around apricots to reduce the risk of damage from aphids.

Video “Proper planting of apricots”

In this video you can familiarize yourself with the stages of planting an apricot seedling.

By adhering to these rules, you will get a strong, healthy and well-bearing tree.

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Description of apricot varieties

Little Bustard

Universal variety. With normalization of the fruit load and regular anti-aging pruning, the fruits grow. Without pruning, it is prone to overload with the harvest, the fruits become smaller up to 50 g. The variety has a medium ripening period. The fruits are elongated-oval, laterally compressed, equal in size. The skin is yellow with a dark red dotted blush. The pulp is light cream, soft-fibrous, very sweet. Transportability and keeping quality are good. The main disadvantage of the variety is the low winter hardiness of flower buds.

Red-cheeked late

Medium-late ripening variety. Winter hardiness is average. The trees are vigorous, fast-growing with a wide-spreading crown. , rounded-ovate, laterally compressed. The skin is pubescent, dense, medium-density yellow-orange, with a faint carmine blush; The pulp is light orange, sweet and sour, aromatic. The seed is medium, free, the seed is sweet. Productivity is high. The variety is universal.

Big early

Old European variety. The tree is vigorous, with a spreading crown. The fruits are oval, with a pointed apex, asymmetrical. The skin is pubescent, velvety, light orange. The pulp is orange, juicy, dense, sugary, with high taste. The seed is small and the seed is bitter. Productivity is regular, good with good pollination of flowers. The fruits ripen in mid-June.

Variety Polessky large-fruited

Of the apricot varieties that I grow, the Polesie large-fruited one especially stands out for its valuable qualities, it has a medium ripening period, the fruits are very large, their mass. The variety is good for both fresh consumption and processing. The seed of the fruit is easily separated, the pulp is aromatic, tender, without fibrous inclusions, and has very high taste.

VarietyZherdeley

I selected two quite successful varieties of Zherdeli, distinguished by good taste, high disease resistance, and large fruit size. They grow on grafts in the crown of an adult tree and delight with an abundant harvest of good quality. I intend to continue the search for successful apricot varieties with good consumer qualities that are suitable for cultivation in our region.

Yerevan (Shalah)

A universal variety of early-medium ripening. Weakly affected by diseases. The productivity is very high. The tree is vigorous. The fruits are large, elongated oval in shape. Their size depends on the load of the tree with fruits and ranges from 50 to 90 g; the skin is matte, creamy with a blurred raspberry blush. The pulp is juicy, aromatic, sweet and sour, of excellent taste. The bone is small. The transportability of the fruit is good. The winter hardiness of the variety is average.

Burshtynovy

Obtained from the Institute of Horticulture UAAS A.L. Denisyuk. Medium ripening period. Winter hardiness is relatively high - up to 27 degrees. Comparatively resistant to moniliosis and klyasterosporiosis. Universal. The tree is tall. The fruits are very large, weighing more than 70 g, ovoid, equal in size. The skin is orange with a light red blush. The pulp is orange, tender, juicy, of high taste. The variety is partially self-fertile. It bears fruit well if pollinator varieties grow nearby: Veteran of Sevastopol, Kolkhozny, Polessky large-fruited. It is better to graft pollinating varieties into the crown of a given variety. Taste rating: 4.5 points.

Red-cheeked from Nikolaev

A universal variety with a medium ripening period. The trees are large, the crown is spreading, sparse. The fruits are large - 60 g, wide-round-ovoid in shape. The skin is yellow-orange with a red blush. The pulp is bright orange, fibrous. The taste is good and harmonious. Score - 4.4 points. Ripen in mid-July. The fruits have good dessert and technological qualities, are shelf-stable and transportable. Productivity is good. The variety has increased disease resistance and average winter hardiness.

Veteran of Sevastopol

This is one of the four most winter-hardy varieties (this four also includes Polessky large-fruited, Sambursky early and Kyiv Krasen). It begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting. Productivity is high, annual. The fruits are large, with an average of 85 g in some years with a small tree load. The fruits are round-oval, compressed from the sides. The pulp is light orange, of high taste. Score - 4.6 points.

The variety is partially self-fertile. It bears fruit well if the Bereznyakovsky and Burshtynovy varieties grow nearby. It is advisable to plant branches of pollinating varieties into the crown of the tree. The tree is low-growing, with a sparse and spreading crown.

This article presents varieties of apricots of medium and medium-late ripening, and to view early varieties of apricots you can follow the link.

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