Apricots: Fruit / Vegetable of the Month

There is much talk these days about ancient grains (amaranth, farro, spelt, kamut, quinoa.....) Apricots could be considered an ancient fruit. Apricots originated on the Russian-Chinese border about 3000 BC. Turkey currently grows the most apricots in the world followed by Iran and Uzbekistan. In the United States almost all apricots are grown in California, Washington and Utah.

Apricots are very high in fiber, helping with regularity. They are also a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C. Apricots are ready to eat when they are soft to the touch. Ripe apricots are sweet and juicy with a slightly tart flavor. Choose dark orange apricots. The red on an apricots shows where it was exposed to direct sunlight (sun kissed). Picked green apricots will never ripen. Place them in the refrigerator for up to a week to delay over ripening or lay halves on a cookies sheet in the freezer. When frozen through place in a sealed container or bag.

Offer apricots to children plain, mixed in a fruit salad, in yogurt, on pancakes or waffles. Apricots have a short season, mid-May until early July. Purchasing and using dried apricots is also a great way to enjoy apricots year round. Dried apricots are great with granola, on salads, in oatmeal, with rice, quinoa or other cooked grain, mixed into cream cheese and spread on bagels or crackers.

We made few apricot recipes.....

Apricot Bites from Wholefood Simply

Use 1 part dried apricot, 2 parts dessicated coconut. We soaked our apricots in water for 30 minutes, drained and pureed softened apricots and coconuts until sticky, pressed in a glass container, chilled in fridge, cut into bite size pieces and enjoyed!

Fresh Apricot Jam from Cook.com

No canning required for this recipe. It was a little tart so we would recommend a bit more sugar. 

Apricot-Ricotta Stuffed Celery from Taste of Home

We tripled the amount of dried apricots. 

And we made Quinoa Salad with Dried Cranberries and Apricots from Fresh Juice

We added 1/4 of a yellow pepper and orange pepper because we had them on hand.

If you are child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program (CCFP).

Recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables varies with age.

Children ages 2-3 need   1- 1.5 cups of fruits and 1- 1.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Children ages 4-8 need   1-2     cups of fruits and 1.5-2.5 cups of vegetables each day. 

Children ages 9-13 need 1.5-2  cups of fruits and 1.5-3.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Teens ages   14-18 need   1.5 -2.5 cups of fruits and 2.5-4 cups of vegetables each day.

Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are rich in essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimum growth and development. Check out  CDC's fruit and vegetable calculator for an more accurate recommendation based upon age, sex, and activity levels.

Remember your plate.......