Apricots

Origin and Culture

The apricot (germ. Aprikose, fren. abricot, ital. albicocca) is a stone fruit, bush or tree from Asia and is closely related to the plum.

The early blossom - 2009 between April 7th and April 13th - is white to pink with very short stalks, the orange-yellow fruit is sweet-sour and very spicy.

Very few regions allow this fruit to be cultivated on a large scale. The distinctive biological features of the apricot tree only allow for cultivation in areas with specific, advantageous climatic conditions. The main cause for this restriction is the early apricot blossom, which makes the trees very vulnerable to spring frost, and high sensitivity to precipitation.

Harvest and Uses

In our orchard we have 103 apricot trees, mainly the varieties "Ungarische Beste", "Wahre Grosse Fruehe", "Aurora", "Kremser" and "Klosterneuburger".

At harvest time - 2009 between July 16th and July 26th - we pick the pesticide-free and ripe apricots once or even twice a day.

* We sell our apricots - € 2,20 per kilo, but pesticide-free (!) - and

* make excellent apricot cakes,

* apricot dumplings and

* apricot jam.

You can try our home-made jam with a fresh roll for breakfast or buy a jar of it to take it home with you.

Rate per jar with 390 ml: € 4,40

Apricot Dumplings

Ingredients:
250g cream cheese (Topfen), 1 egg, 70g butter, 150g flour, salt, butter, bread crumbs, cinnamon, icing sugar.

Method:
Thoroughly mix the cream cheese, egg, butter and a pinch of salt. Add the flour, mix well to form a soft dough and rest in a cool place for 1 hr.

Form a roll and cut off pieces of approx. 5mm thickness. Flatten. Replace the apricot stone with a lump of sugar. Wrap the dough around the apricot and make a dumpling. Let the dumplings simmer in salt water for approx. 15 minutes.

Put some butter in a pan, add the breadcrumbs and roast them until golden. Roll the cooked dumplings in the breadcrumbs (add a little cinnamon to taste). Dust with icing suger and serve hot.

Enjoy !