Andy's Orchard - Apricot Surprise - Nov. 28, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Andy's Orchard

Apricot Surprise

Good +

Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) (estimate) in 1 large confection

Calories: 230 calories (estimate) in 1 piece

Cost: $3.50 for 1 package

Purchased from: Andy's Orchard, Morgan Hill, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Fruit Theme Weeks. 

Today's Chocolate Surprise was from Andy's Orchard (Morgan Hill, CA).

This jumbo-sized, dark chocolate covered confection had an aroma with fudge brownie and chocolate cookie notes.

A smooth dark chocolate shell covered a large piece of sweet, white divinity fudge with walnuts, topped with dried Blenheim apricot.

The fudge tasted high-quality and homemade but was (as most fudges are for me) too sweet and rich. The other components (the dark chocolate, apricot and walnuts in the fudge) all had authentic, satisfying flavors. Andy's Orchard grows a variety of fruits, including apricots. Prior to the development associated with Silicon Valley, apricots, cherries and plums were local and road-side market staples in Santa Clara County.* 

Ingredients: Dried Blenheim Apricots, Divinity with Walnuts, and chocolate

Allergy-related information: (No information on small label; contained tree nuts (walnuts).)

*Apricots orchards were everywhere in the South Bay 1950s. The street I had grown up on was once part of an orchard, as near as I can tell. "...Until the 1960s, Santa Clara Valley was the largest fruit production and packing region in the world, with 39 canneries."

By the 1970s, the fruit industry was winding down and many fruit canneries had closed. The remaining fruit trees were still beautiful, especially in the early spring, when apricot and cherry trees were covered with white blossoms, and swathes of green grass and yellow mustard flowers and sour grass (oxalis) flowers grew between the trees. 

Children would wander into orchard remnants to gaze at caterpillars and butterflies, eat an apricot, and occasionally throw ripe apricots at each other. At least that's what we did, before the old orchard behind our back fence was bulldozed and homes were built.

Now, I need to drive south for an hour to find apricot trees at Andy's Orchard; and I was grateful there were still some Bleinheim apricots left.