Warm winter and spring weather has produced a California apricot crop that is a bit earlier than usual, with the industry expecting some shipments before the end of the month. But that same weather situation, with fewer than ideal chilling hours, has also led to a lighter crop on the trees.

At least that is the view of Jim Lucich, sales manager of Blossom Hill Packing Co. in Patterson, CA. Blossom Hill is the brand for Lucich/Santos Farms, which is one of the larger apricot producers in California.While recent weather has led to a lighter California apricot crop on the trees, shipments should start earlier than usual this year. He said the crop is about a week earlier than normal but pretty close to last year’s timing. And he said there appears to be a lighter set of fruit on the trees.

While there is no preseason estimate for the crop, according to the California Apricot Advisory Board website, in an average year California ships about 1.5 million 24-pound packages. Lucich said harvest will begin in the southern San Joaquin Valley in late April and moves up the state’s Central Valley throughout the spring and early summer. He said the apricot harvest will conclude by the end of June.

The apricot harvest somewhat mirrors that of the California cherry crop. And like cherries, apricots are still a very seasonal crop. In mid-April there were no fresh apricots at retail, which Lucich said allows for some added excitement and anticipation when the season begins.

Around 400 growers produce apricots from orchards covering 21,000 acres in the San Joaquin Valley and Northern California. About 70 percent of the apricots grown in the United States come from California. Lucich said that his firm continues to focus on the apricot and is increasing its production, but some growers in the state have replaced some apricot acreage with other high-value tree crops such as almonds. He said Lucich/Santos Farms is committed to producing apricots, as it is the firm’s No. 1 item.

There are many different varieties but the most prevalent are the Pattersons, Blenheims, Tiltons and Castlebrites. The Blossom Hill executive said breeders continually look for “better-eating apricots” and there are several new varieties that are on the market.

He noted that the majority of apricots are sold bulk, but bagged apricots are becoming more popular every year. They are also sold in clamshells by many retailers.

“Another trend is the increased demand for organic fruit,” he said. “We are getting more and more inquiries about organic apricots and we are increasing our acreage. But it is much more expensive to produce organics apricots. It costs about 50 percent more to grow them. You have to be very careful. It is still only a small percentage of the total crop, but it’s growing.”

While some apricots are exported, the export market (excluding Canada) is limited. The relatively limited volume of California apricots is easily consumed by U.S. consumers during their nine- to 10-week season.