Preserving the Exception - The Blenheim Apricot
The sun is shining bright on B & R Farms as our 2018 harvest is coming to an end. This year’s crop has been picked, washed and cut, and dried under the sun for your soon-to-be unbeatable Blenheim enjoyment! As a part of this year’s mission, we’re working on something new. Something we hope will bring re-invigorated enthusiasm for the rare Blenheim apricot. We’re opening our digital doors wider than ever before!
If you’re new here, welcome!
We’re Jim, Mari, and Brian Rossi – caretakers of the very best apricot variety in the world, the Blenheim apricot. Boasting a beautiful deep orange and the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, Blenheim apricots are exceptional when eaten fresh, dried, preserved, pureed, and more.
In our family, a passion for this heirloom fruit has been passed down from generation to generation. As a young boy, Jim could be found sitting under the cutting table as him mom sliced apricots by hand. In grammar school, you’d find him ferociously nailing together drying trays, racing to see who could finish repairing them first. And as a teen, he was a troublemaker on the forklift, spinning tires in the fields, trying not to get caught by his sister who would inevitably tell his father (little wonder where Brian gets it from…).
Just a few decades ago, the Blenheim was the leading apricot variety grown in California.
But with urbanization replacing farm land, supply chain challenges driven by the fruit’s delicate nature, and fierce competition from imports, we’ve seen a drastic decline in the cultivation and consumption of this exceptional fruit. Today, B & R Farms has become the largest US grower of the now rare Blenheim apricot and we believe that with this tremendous opportunity comes the tremendous responsibility to defend and resurface this endangered crop.
To strengthen this mission, we’re renewing our vigor for educating our communities about this one-of-a-kind fruit. We’re planning to share even more pictures, videos, recipes, and fruit facts through channels like Instagram, Facebook, and our blog. As always, along the way, we’ll uphold our unprecedented commitment to quality and innovation so we can find more and better ways for you to enjoy the Blenheim.
We hope you follow along and become a part of our farm life each week. We can’t wait to share all we know about the beautiful Blenheim and come to know you all a little better too! Our hope is that together, we can keep the delicious Blenheim apricot in your hands, not just today but for generations to come.
Together, let’s preserve the exception.
-Jim, Mari, and Brian