Saving the Endangered Blenheim Apricot One Jar at a Time
The intense flavor of the variety of fruit paired with a special recipe instantly created a cult following of jam addicts who could never get enough.
25/06/07 "The Blenheim apricot was once king," says Eric Haeberli, co-founder of jam. "It was eaten by just about everyone in America, but today it is virtually extinct."
Five years ago Eric Haeberli and Phineas Hoang began making jam for friends and family from a lone Blenheim apricot tree in a relative's Santa Clara, Calif. backyard. The intense flavor of the variety of fruit paired with a special recipe instantly created a cult following of jam addicts who could never get enough.
"We both hated apricots, but one day we decided to try the fruit on this backyard tree and it blew our minds," says Haeberli. "The apricots you get in the markets are completely flavorless -- like eating paper." Not being able to eat it all they tried making jam. "Our jam is the best way to preserve this fruit. It tastes better than fresh or dried," says Hoang.
The Blenheim apricot was grown throughout the Santa Clara Valley of California, now known as Silicon Valley, a region that supplied nearly the entire nation with apricots. But no more. Farmers sold out to developers, and what was once farmland is now tract homes and high tech offices. The few orchards left primarily dry the fruit and are threatened by low-priced imports, and the temptation to sell out. Slow Foods USA has the Blenheim on their endangered list due to the rapid loss of a fruit long associated with this region.
After five years of making their jam for a devoted following of friends and family, Hoang and Haeberli decided to sell their limited-run jam to the general public earlier this year and due to high demand they began looking for neighboring orchards that grew the Blenheim. "That's when we learned there were only a few orchards left," says Hoang. "One orchard we called told us they just ripped out all their Blenheim trees since they were no longer profitable. We immediately knew we had to save the Blenheim."
"We never considered ourselves on any kind of mission to save this fruit at first," says Haeberli. "We just cared about making the best tasting jam in the world."
