A Los Angeles orchard is making the most of a disappointing cherry season with a brief apricot celebration.
After losing its cherry crop this year, Tenerelli Orchards says its apricots have come through in a big way — enough to warrant a one-weekend-only orchard opening as the fruit reaches peak ripeness.
What happened?
In an Instagram reel shared by @peaches.la_, Tenerelli Orchards said that while this year's cherry crop harvest was a loss, two apricot varieties — Robadas and Tomcots — did pan out, and they held a Memorial Day sale last weekend to invite guests to come and pick them.
The orchard said it has 100 Robada trees, though the fruit load varies from tree to tree. In the video, a speaker walks through the orchard and explains that some fruit was picked green on a Wednesday for the farmer's market, only for the remaining apricots to turn fully ripe by the next day. "Boom, they're all orange, ready to pick," he says.
The reel also features Tomcots, which the video describes as a smaller, more delicate apricot. Even though those trees are producing less fruit this year, the orchard says the variety still delivers the soft, juicy texture fans of old-fashioned apricots are after.
Why does it matter?
Stone fruit can go from nearly ready to perfect in a matter of days, and the orchard's update suggests that is exactly what is happening here.
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Tenerelli Orchards is "mourning the loss" of its cherry crop, but the apricots are helping fill that gap during harvest season.
The opening offers a chance to buy fruit at peak ripeness rather than produce that has spent additional time in storage or transit. The orchard's caption says that "if you know your stone fruit," these varieties at peak ripeness are "something special."
One commenter wrote: "Don't underestimate the apricots!"
What can I do?
Shoppers elsewhere still have a chance to get peak-fresh apricots around the country, even if this farm has sold its harvest.
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Peak-season apricots are great fresh, but they can also be refrigerated briefly or even frozen, baked into desserts, or turned into jam once they soften.
"We've got a hundred trees of Robadas," the grower says in the reel. "Boom, they're all orange, ready to pick." And of the Tomcots, he adds: "That's a real gushy, gushy, old-fashioned apricot."
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