Nutrients in apricots can help protect the heart and eyes, as well as provide the disease-fighting effects of fiber. The high beta-carotene and lycopene activity of apricots makes them important heart health foods. Both beta-carotene and lycopene protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, which may help prevent heart disease.
History of Apricots
In the Beginning
Nearly 4000 years ago, a fruit belonging to the rose family was discovered on the mountain slopes of China. Today, it’s generally accepted that the Chinese first cultivated this ancient fruit, the wild ancestor to the present day apricot. It is also believed that the Chinese considered the apricot to contain special fertility enhancing properties.
With the strong sensory appeal of apricots’ delicate, velvety skin and intensely sweet fragrance and flavor, apricot cuttings traveled across the Persian Empire to the Mediterranean where they flourished. Many varieties of the fruit differing in size, color and flavor are still grown with popular appeal throughout the world today.
The Start of California’s Apricot History
In the 18th century, Spanish explorers introduced apricots to the New World. California inherited the golden blush fruit planted in the gardens of Spanish missions. In 1792, the first major production of California apricots was recorded.
By 1920, California proudly claimed a flourishing apricot industry located in the Santa Clara Valley, an area south of San Francisco also known for peaches, plums and cherries. Only fifteen years later, 2,737 California apricot growers farmed a total of 18,631 acres in the valley alone.
After World War II, the valley once known for fruit farming was fast becoming an area known for a growing computer industry and the development of the “Silicon Valley.” Consequently by the end of the century, California’s apricot orchards had been relocated to the San Joaquin Valley where they are predominately found today.
Today’s Apricot Industry
The apricot is one of California’s prized specialty crops. In fact, California produces a remarkable 95+% of all the apricots grown in the United States.
There are over 300 growers producing apricots from orchards covering 17,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley with the leading production area being Stanislaus County.
Varieties
California apricot growers produce a number of apricot varieties. The most dominant variety planted and produced in California today is the Patterson developed in 1969 by Fred W. Anderson. A consistent producer and very versatile, the Patterson is used for canning, freezing, drying, concentrate and fresh shipment.
Season and Usage
Eagerly awaited as one of the first summer fruits, the apricot has a relatively short fresh season. Depending on harvest conditions, consumers can generally find California apricots in the produce aisles beginning mid-May and continuing through early July. Consumers desiring apricots’ sweetly tart flavor and healthy properties year-round can easily turn to apricot nectar, and canned, dried or frozen California apricots which are nutritionally comparable to their fresh counterparts.
A Focus on Tradition
California’s rich apricot heritage reflects the same passion growers possess today for the alluring apricot. To keep the tradition alive, the Apricot Producers of California fight to strengthen and preserve the California apricot industry. Three times larger in the 1920’s, the California apricot industry has been hit hard by factors such as the importation of foreign apricot products and the increase of consumer fruit choices in the marketplace. Although California is still a leader in the apricot industry, growers willingly face an uncertain future to continue producing the delicate and beloved apricot.
Apples
Apples contain antioxidant phytonutrients which help fight the damaging effects of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Apples also strengthens lung function and can lower the incidence of lung cancer. In addition, apples contain the essential trace element, boron, which has been shown to strengthen bones - a good defense against osteoporosis. The disease-fighting profile of apples provides a multitude of health benefits, including a potential decreased risk of cancer and heart disease. Several recent studies suggest apples may provide a "whole-body" health benefit.
A number of components in apples, most notably fiber and phytonutrients have been found in studies to lower blood cholesterol and improve bowel function, and may be associated with a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma. Preliminary research from Finland indicates diets with the highest intake of apple phytonutrients were associated with a 46 percent reduction in the incidence of lung cancer. Findings indicate that two apples a day or 12 ounces of 100% apple juice reduced the damaging effects of the “bad” LDL cholesterol.
History of Apples
The first trees to produce sweet, flavourful apples similar to those we enjoy today, were located many thousands of years ago near the modern city of Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan.
The Greeks were growing several varieties of apples by the late 300’s BC, and the ancient Romans also grew and loved the fruit. Researchers have even found the charred remains of apples at a Stone Age village in Switzerland.
European settlers brought apple seeds and trees with them to the New World. Records from the Massachusetts Bay Company indicate that apples were being grown in New England as early as 1630. In 1796, in Ontario, Canada, John McIntosh discovered a variety of apple which is today enjoyed by people around the world--the McIntosh Apple!
Apples have also appeared in legends in our past. In the Bible, Adam and Eve are tempted by apples in the Garden of Eden, and in the Swiss story of William Tell, an archer is arrested and then promised his freedom if he can shoot an apple off his son’s head with an arrow.
Americans have a favourite story about a pioneer apple farmer named John Chapman, from Leominster, Massachusetts. Chapman, now known to many as "Johnny Appleseed", became famous in the 1800’s when he distributed apple seeds and trees to settlers in the American states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Legend claims that Appleseed travelled barefoot wearing old torn clothes and a tin pot for a hat! Johnny Appleseed is celebrated in American folklore as a symbol of the westward-moving expansion of the European settlers.
Prunes
Prunes are widely known as a good source of dietary fiber, which helps normalize blood sugar levels by slowing the rate at which food leaves the stomach and by delaying the absorption of glucose (the form in which sugar is transported in the blood) following a meal. Soluble fiber also increases insulin sensitivity and can therefore play a helpful role in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Also prunes' soluble fiber promotes a sense of satisfied fullness after a meal by slowing the rate at which food leaves the stomach, so prunes can also help prevent overeating and weight gain.
Cranberries
An ongoing University of Wisconsin study is researching the cranberry's ability to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Scientists found that cranberry extract contains antioxidants, which play a fundamental role in slowing the oxidation that leads to heart disease. Cranberries contain anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and phenolic compounds that are known for their anti-cancer properties. Ongoing studies at several respected universities indicate consistent and strong evidence that a diet high in fruits and vegetables, including cranberries, reduces the risks of some types of cancer. Cranberries In Our Past
Cranberries are one of only three fruits native to North America the other two are blueberries and Concord grapes. This tasty little berry was a staple in the diets of American Indians long before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
The Indians ate cranberries fresh, ground, or mashed with cornmeal and baked into bread. They mixed dried berries with wild game to form pemmican, a survival ration for the winter months and long grips. Maple sugar or honey was used to sweeten the berry's tangy flavor.
The Indians brewed cranberry poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds. They used cranberry juice to dye their rugs and blankets a colorful red. An, they believed the cranberry had special powers to calm the nerves.
Although various Indian tribes had different names for the cranberry, it was the Pilgrims' name that outlasted them all. They called the fruit "crane berry" because the cranberry plant's tiny stem and pink blossoms resembled the neck, head, and beak of cranes. Over time, the word shorted to "cranberry".
As Europeans became more firmly entrenched on American soil, they too grew to appreciate cranberries. Early French voyagers exploring Wisconsin waterways bartered for cranberries with the Indians. And American sailors began to take barrels of cranberries to sea with them to provide vitamin C for the prevention of scurvy. Important Events in Cranberry History
-1663- Pilgrim cookbook describes cranberry sauce
-1796- Cranberries served at first celebration of the landing of the Pilgrims with first Thanksgiving turkey.
-1816- Henry Hall first grew cranberries commercially in Massachusetts.
-1829- The first recorded sale of Wisconsin cranberries appears in Daniel Whitney's journal when Whitney purchased 3 canoe loads of berries harvested from the area know as "Cranmoor".
-1865- First commercially grown cranberries were grown at Berlin in Green Lake County.
-1887- Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association formed to advance interests of all engaged in the cultivation of cranberries.
-1893- In a continued effort to educate the public about cranberries, Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association members traveled to Chicago for the Columbian Exposition, displaying an entire marsh operation in miniature.
-1899- U.S. standard for cranberries established: 100 pounds = 1 barrel.
-1906- Wisconsin Cranberry Sales Company was formed, a cooperative selling organization.
-1952- The first TV commercial for cranberries aired, a spot promoting the year-round use of chicken and cranberries.
Carbohydrates provide the body with sources of energy and so should be consumed when the body is to exert itself more than normal. They release energy quickly and easily so sportsmen and women consume them before taking part in their sports.
Dietary Fibre is an important nutrient for everyone and it is not consumed as much as it should be. It is the indigestible part of our food and comes from whole grain products and fruits among other things.
It has been shown that a regular intake of fibre can reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also reduces the level of cholesterol in the blood.
Its passage through the bodies intestines reduces the risk of gastrointestinal problems, including colon cancer and aids the defecation process, reducing the risk of hemorrhoids.
The consumption of dates instead of other types of carbohydrate such as sweets and cakes is recommended.
Testimonials
I purchased your dried peaches last month for the first time and they were delicious. I have never ordered any dried fruit from any other store. So instead of staying with what I already knew I decided to try some from another company. BIG MISTAKE-- They were absolutly horrible. After trying to convince myself well, maybe they weren't sooo-bad and I paid for them so I guess I would just eat them. I really couldn't force myself to eat them so I just thru them out and now I am ordering more from J & D. I have learned my lesson well. It cost me but you have to pay to go to school.
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