Description: Apricots are small, golden orange fruits, with velvety skin and flesh. Some describe their flavor as a cross between a peach and a plum.

Availability: Fresh – summer – canned and dried year round

Facts: Originated in China and came to the US in the 1700’s. Apricots are enjoyed as a fresh fruit but also dried, cooked into pastry, and eaten as jam. The fruits are also distilled into brandy and liqueur. Essential oil from the pits is sold commercially as bitter almond oil.

Serving Size = 1 CUP

Selection: Look for fruits with a rich orange color while avoiding those that are pale and yellow. Fruits should be slightly soft. If they are too firm they have not been tree-ripened, and tree-ripened fruits always taste best.

Nutrition Benefits: Low fat; saturated fat free; very low sodium; cholesterol free; low calorie; high in vitamin A; high in vitamin C; good source of potassium.

Pigments: beta-carotene, lycopene

Phytochemicals: chlorogenic acid, geraniol, quercetin, D-gluaric acid

ORAC Score: 164