The Royal Blenheim
If you’ve been following along for a while, then you know we are HUGE fans of Royal Blenheim apricots. For just a few short weeks each June, these apricots return, make us fall in love all over again, then they’re gone. We try to eat as many as humanly possible and we’ve made a ritual of turning them into jam. This heirloom variety remains one of our all-time favorites and clearly has a cult following. It’s not every fruit that has fans reaching out in April and May, asking about this year’s crop.
The story of this variety traces back to the ‘Blenheim’ apricot brought over from England and the ‘Royal’ apricot from France. Sharing parentage from both, the Royal Blenheim was introduced to California in the 1880s. During World War I, imports of dried apricots from Europe were disrupted, creating an opportunity for California growers. Blenheim production took off, orchards were planted throughout the state, and drying yards expanded to meet demand. By the early 1900s, Blenheim orchards covered much of the Sacramento and Santa Clara Valleys.
As dried apricots from Turkey began entering the market at lower prices, demand for California-grown dried Blenheims declined. The products were quite different: Turkish apricots were dried whole, with the pit removed after partial drying, while Blenheim apricots were halved before drying. As demand fell, growers began removing their Blenheim trees. With just a few short weeks of harvest, it was a challenge for farmers to sell their crop fresh. And though we get the most beautiful Blenheims from Cathy and Michael at Spreadwing Farm, Blenheims are not known for their appearances. It’s a smaller apricot, ripening from the inside-out, which means that it’s often harvested with a tinge of green on its shoulders. Newer varieties arrived, offering growers and market shoppers larger fruit, brighter color, and deeper orange flesh. (We see this phenomenon throughout the world of stone fruit; older, delicious, lighter-colored varieties are supplanted by varieties that have been bred to develop a dark blush earlier in the season. The newer varieties are red even when picked firm and underripe, allowing them to be mechanically processed and shipped longer distances, while they still present as “ripe” to the supermarket shopper.) With freckled skin, pale coloration, those sometimes-green shoulders, and a smaller size, Blenheim apricots went out of style real quick.
A bit more characteristic-looking
But if you’ve enjoyed Blenheim apricots, you know their flavor is unmatched. Their jammy interior, sweet honeysuckle aroma, and rich flavor balanced by just the right amount of acidity make it one of those near-perfect pieces of fruit. Cathy and Michael of Spreadwing Farm grow in Rumsey, a small town located on the northern end of the Capay Valley. They have about 65 Blenheim trees, planted 15 years ago, and every year we look forward to their apricots. As fruit lovers themselves, they know how to harvest the most ripe and delicious Blenheims. They take so much care in harvesting, sorting, and packing them for us. They take incredible care in picking, sorting, and packing the fruit for us. They truly push the boundaries of ripeness, delivering Blenheims that are perfectly delicious – just on the verge of bruising – with maximum jamminess. Just how we like them.
Next week is the last week of Spreadwing’s Blenheim apricot season and we're planning to eat as many as we can.
