Are high-yield Xinjiang apricots expensive? A detailed guide to their ripening time

Xinjiang apricots have a cultivation history of more than 2,000 years, with a planting area of about 2.5 million mu (about 166,667 hectares), and an annual output of about 1.5 million tonnes. Both the area and the output rank first in the country! Xinjiang apricots come in many varieties and sizes. They taste great eaten fresh, and everyone also loves them processed into preserved fruit and dried fruit. Are Xinjiang apricots expensive? When do they ripen? What are their benefits and effects?

1. Are Xinjiang apricots expensive?

Xinjiang apricots are not particularly expensive. As the figure below shows, the price of fresh apricots stays at around 3 yuan per jin. Processed preserved fruit and dried fruit, however, are fairly expensive, especially the packaged ones, which reach 20-30 yuan per jin. Which type you eat mainly depends on your preference, and of course the price also changes under the influence of other factors.

2. When do Xinjiang apricots ripen?

Xinjiang apricots ripen in June. There is a saying about the apricots, plums and peaches of Kuqa and Aksu in June, and the watermelons and various muskmelons of Aksu in July. From this, June is the best time for Xinjiang apricots to ripen. Apricot trees sprout and bloom in spring, with the flowering period generally between March and April. The flowering period lasts about half a month and is fairly concentrated, but the ripening of the fruit is greatly affected by temperature. The apricot ripening period covers June to August, and most ripen in July when the wheat is harvested, hence the saying “when the wheat turns yellow, the apricots are ripe.”

3. Benefits and effects of Xinjiang apricots

1. Effect of promoting fluid production and quenching thirst

Apricots have the effect of promoting fluid production and quenching thirst. In the hot summer, eating apricots can relieve symptoms such as thirst, dry throat, insufficient body fluids and dry mouth with restlessness, and has a thirst-quenching effect.

2. Effect of protecting eyesight

Apricots are very rich in provitamin A, which has a good effect on protecting eyesight and preventing eye diseases.

3. Effect of beautifying and nourishing the skin

Apricots have a beauty effect. Apricots contain very rich nutrients, such as vitamins. Whether taken internally or applied externally, they can effectively relieve skin ageing and keep the skin smooth and elastic. So women can eat apricots in moderation.

4. Lowering cholesterol

Apricots can effectively lower cholesterol. Apricots are rich in vitamin E and some monounsaturated fatty acids, which can lower the cholesterol level in human blood, so they are very helpful for diabetic patients with impaired heart function.

5. Effect of weight loss

Apricots have a weight-loss function. The unsaturated fatty acids contained in apricots do not easily make you fat, and the cell walls of apricots can effectively reduce the human body's digestion and absorption of fat.

6. Effect of relieving cough and calming asthma

Apricots have the effect of relieving cough and calming asthma. After entering the human intestinal tract, apricots are broken down by the intestines, producing a small amount of “hydrocyanic acid.” Medical research shows that “hydrocyanic acid” can have a calming effect on the respiratory centre nerves, and therefore can relieve cough and calm asthma.