Description
The fruit appears similar to a peach or nectarine, with a colour ranging from yellow to orange and sometimes a red cast; its surface is smooth and nearly hairless.

Availability
Domestic apricots are available June and July. Imports from Chile and New Zealand appear in December and January.

Shopping
Look for plump, juicy looking orange-yellow fruit, skin should be smooth and velvety. Ripe apricosts yield to gentle pressure.

Avoid hard fruits that are tinged with green, shirveled skin, bruises.

Storage
Apricots that are plump, firm, and orange-gold in color will be ready to eat after two days of ripening in a paper bag at room temperature.Once ripe, they may be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag, where they will keep for up to three days.