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Do You Know What Kind of Fruit Tree This Is?

2009_03_05-apricottree2.jpgNot cherry. Not pear. Here's a hint: I took these photos as the sun came up in Patterson, California. What does that have to do with it? Read on.

 
 

Patterson is a town about 90 miles southeast of San Francisco, and it is the.... Apricot Capital of the World!

I'm just passing through Patterson, and I had no idea there would be acres of flowering apricot trees just a minute down the road from my hotel. It was 6:30 a.m. when I took these pictures (on the side of the road, in my pajamas, thank you very much). The cool, gray light gave way to sunshine as I stood there trespassing.

2009_03_05-apricottree6.jpg

2009_03_05-apricottree3.jpg

2009_03_05-apricottree1.jpgThese trees rival the cherry trees in Washington, in my opinion. I only wish there were actual apricots on the branches; the fruit won't be ripe for the picking until early summer. In the meantime, here are a few of the Kitchn's fresh apricot recipes... If I'm ever back in Patterson during a harvest, I'll be ready.

• Apricots with Candied Rosemary Walnuts and Cream
• Almond Cream Cheese Apricots
• Apricot and Biscuit Crostata
• Roasted Apricot Ice Cream with Almond Praline Ripple

2009_03_05-apricottree5.jpgRelated: LA Farmers' Market Report: Blenheim Apricots

(Images: Elizabeth Passarella)

Tags

Ingredients - Fruit, Local - West Coast, farming, apricots

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Comments (15)

These pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing them!

posted by laetitiae on March 5th 2009 at 4:34pm
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Gorgeous!

posted by Nougat on March 5th 2009 at 4:49pm
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Thanks! I have these flowers popping out and I couldn't identify them for the life of me!

http://embritadesign.blogspot.com

posted by EmmieB on March 5th 2009 at 5:22pm
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so pretty!

posted by goodLife{eats} on March 5th 2009 at 6:02pm
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Just lovely! Things like that make mornings worthwhile.

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on March 5th 2009 at 6:38pm
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took my breath away - thank you :)

posted by VeryDelishVeg on March 5th 2009 at 7:27pm
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so pretty!

posted by ellehudson on March 5th 2009 at 9:19pm
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I want to be there!

posted by Icanmakeit on March 5th 2009 at 10:00pm
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Welcome to just "another" day in the Central Valley! Sometimes it still overwhelms me how truly beautiful, delicious can be.

posted by thill on March 5th 2009 at 10:15pm
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Beautiful!

posted by buda on March 5th 2009 at 11:12pm
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So glad to hear that you were in the neighborhood!! lol well kinda!! I live like 10 minutes away from Patterson and truly is beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing your breathtaking pictures!!!! and glad to hear you were here in the Valley, I hope you enjoyed your stay!!

:D

posted by mariachigirl126 on March 6th 2009 at 12:59am
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Living in the Algarve, Portugal, I have known these trees, their fruits, leaves, and flowers ever since I remember. But my country is a little strip of land, and there is no big plantation of almond trees any longer. So I marveled when, two years ago I drove from San José to Los Angeles in the end of January and around me there was nothing but the snowy-like beauty of the almond-tree flower. Thank you for the pictures, they are great!
(I posted one too, taken on that trip: http://cartasdestemoinho.blogspot.com/2008/11/blue-skies.html)

posted by Ana Soares on March 6th 2009 at 7:49am
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i am lucky enough to have an apricot tree right out side my kitchen window. so this time of year if find myself singing this tune...
"i looked out the window and what did i see?
popcorn popping on the apricot tree!
spring has brought me such a nice surprise,

posted by carin on March 6th 2009 at 8:55pm
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Of course I was talking in my comment about almond tree flowers, while your post was on apricot trees... The flowers are indeed similar, equally beautiful, but the trunks of the almond trees are thinner than the apricot's. Also, almond trees bloom earlier than aprricot trees, at least in the South of Portugal.

posted by Ana Soares on March 8th 2009 at 4:45am
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Beautiful!

posted by RubyB on March 13th 2009 at 3:08pm
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