Northern Shaanxi wild apricots

Northern Shaanxi wild apricots

　　Northern Shaanxi wild apricots

　　Northern Shaanxi wild apricots are valuable in every part, from the flesh and shell to the kernel. Fresh apricot flesh is processed into best-selling products like dried apricots and apricot jam that have been popular in the market for years. Apricot kernels are used in many types of food processing. Aside from being made into common snacks like roasted kernels, apricot cakes, apricot pudding, and apricot drinks, they are also used in chewing gum, apricot-flavored chocolates, and various other candies and pastries. They can serve as flavoring on waffles, vegetable salads, baked goods, or meat and poultry and seafood salads. Multiple single components are also extracted and isolated from them for fortifying and enhancing other foods, creating high-end nutritious products, and are used in cosmetics such as face creams and lotions. Apricot kernel oil is used to make fragrances, cooking oils, or high-grade lubricants. The shells are used in chemical products such as paint, activated carbon, and soap.

　　Shaanxi is one of the original production regions of wild apricots, mainly consisting of natural forests. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, many counties in northern Shaanxi and Weibei planted large amounts of wild apricots for soil and water conservation purposes, forming forest belts. The main product of wild apricots is the kernel, an important woody oilseed and traditional export commodity, primarily used in medicine, oil extraction, pastries, and food. It not only delivers excellent economic benefits but also helps conserve soil and water, making it one of the better tree species on the Loess Plateau.

　　Wild apricots are highly adaptable and resistant to drought and cold. There are early-maturing, mid-maturing, and late-maturing varieties; those with free stones and clingstones; as well as sweet and bitter kernels.

　　Planting is generally done through direct seeding afforestation—sowing seeds right after land preparation, with 3–5 seeds per hole. In northern Shaanxi, sowing is commonly done by seed, resulting in neat seedling emergence. For spring planting, people often treat the seeds with “sand storage.” Within the first five years of growth, activities such as thinning, pruning, loosening soil, and weeding are required. Every two to three years, land should be re-cultivated, and thinning can begin after ten years.

　　Apricot kernels are both delicious and phonetically homophonous with the word for “fortunate person,” so during festive banquets and when giving gifts, people often serve foods like “apricot kernel porridge,” “apricot kernel crisp,” “apricot kernel cake,” and “apricot kernel soup” to convey the meaning of “everyone being happy.” This custom is popular throughout southern Shaanxi.