It’s that glorious time of year – stone fruit season! With hybrids in the mix, it can be tough choosing which type to take home, let alone which variety. One fun choice to look out for are apriums. 

Apriums are around 70 percent apricot and 30 percent plum. They have the golden fuzz and overall taste of an apricot, but with the sweetness and texture of a plum. To breed hybrids like aprium, stone fruit are crossed through hand pollinations conducted over multiple generations. Farmers gently brush pollen from male flowers of one plant to the stigma of the flower of the female plant, mimicking pollination from insects, birds, wind and other natural causes.

You can pick up Cot-N-Candy and Coral-Cot varieties at Blossom Bluff Orchards, Frog Hollow Farm, and Kashiwase Farm this week. Leah-Cot, Honey–Rich, and Country-Cot will also arrive throughout the season. 

Easy Eating: Full disclosure, not many aprium recipes exist. But because they are both apricot and plum-like, this just means you can use them as a substitute in twice as many recipes! Swap out the plums and apricots for apriums in the following recipes: Sourdough Toast with Vanilla Yogurt & Honeyed Plums, Grilled Apricots with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction (from Full Belly Farm) and Fresh Apricot Salsa. No subs needed for this tasty Aprium Almond Tart.
Aprium, Strawberry & Halloumi Salad
Courtesy of Chef Mario Hernandez of Frog Hollow Farm
Ingredients
  • 2 apriums, de-seeded and sliced into 1/8ths
  • 2 strawberries, hulled and cut into rounds
  • 2 cucumbers, smashed under a kitchen towel into non-uniform pieces
  • 4 ounces of Halloumi cheese, cut into cubes and sauté until browned in olive oil
  • Extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • Meyer lemon juice to taste
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Chive blossom flowers for garnish (optional)

Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients (except for the chive blossom flowers)
  2. Dress & season to taste. Garnish with the chive blossom flowers.
This Week's Vendors
Saturday Downtown Berkeley

All Things Sharp
Blue Heron
Brokaw Ranch
Avalos Farm
Kaki Farm
Good Faith Farm
Golden Rule Organics
Lifefood Gardens
Flying Disc Ranch
Achadinha Cheese Co.
Little Fish
Kashiwase Farm
Orchard X
Stepladder Creamery
Triple Delight Blueberries Happy Boy Farms
True Grass Farm
Solano Mushroom
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Gattonelli
(every other week)
Frog Hollow Farm
Higher Land Coffee
Tony's Kettle Corn + Crepes
Andy's Thai
Tamales La Oaxaqueña 
Cafe Zambala
Beber Almond Milk
Big Little Bowl
Your Granola Garden 
Laguna Garden Bakery
Morell's Bread
Obour Hummus
Phoenix Pastificio
Bolani
Coracao
Primavera Tamales
Bun Bao
Wild West Ferments
Sika Ethiopian Specialties
Peach Jamboree
Tuesday South Berkeley

Kaki Farms
Avalos Farm
Massa Organics
Oya Organics
Dancing Crow Vineyards
Triple Delight Blueberries
Blue Heron Farm
Brokaw Ranch
Blossom Bluff Orchard
Lifefood Gardens
Full Belly Farm
Flying Disc Ranch
Good Faith Farm
(every other week)
Lucero Organics
Solano Mushroom
Dirty Girl Produce
Kashiwase Farm
Stepladder Creamery
Riverdog Farm
Smit Farms
Frog Hollow Farm
Little Fish Co.
Queen of Sheeba Honey
Phoenix Pastificio
Bolani
The Fruit Tree
Sika Ethiopian Specialties
(every other week)
Andy's Thai
Donna's Tamales
Thursday North Berkeley

Little Fish
Green Thumb Organics
Massa Organics
Golden Rule Organics
E&H Mushroom Farm
Riverdog Farm
Frog Hollow Farm
Happy Boy Farms
Phoenix Pastificio
Big Little Bowl
Donna's Tamales
Morell's Bread
Upland Apiary
Crane Creek Growers
Sika Ethiopian Specialties
Triple Delight Blueberries
Vendors Out
Tuesday
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Thursday
All Things Sharp: Until July 21st
Saturday
All Things Sharp: Until July 16
California Revel Summer Solstice Performance
Tuesday, June 21, at 5:15pm & 6pm
South Berkeley Farmers' Market
The California Revels will be at the farmer's market next Tuesday in celebration of the summer solstice. They'll be around to share their mission and perform cheery, summertime songs.
WIC distributes over $2k at South Berkeley Farmers' Market
On Tuesday, June 7, the City of Berkeley Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) team distributed over $2000 worth of Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) checks to roughly 50 WIC cardholders at the South Berkeley Farmers' Market.

Recipients will be able to use the checks to stock their fridges with fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the summer. Over $500 of these dollars have already landed in our agricultural vendors' pockets. Thanks for making this happen, Berkeley WIC!
Kick off Plastic Free July with a Live Waste Audit
Saturday July 9, 11am-1pm
2350 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA
Where does your journey to zero waste begin? This year, through our event series Plastic Free Today for a Healthy Tomorrow, the Ecology Center is making space to learn about what actions you can take to invest in a healthy, plastic-free future. We’re kicking-off this month of action in just a few weeks with a live waste auditing event at the Ecology Center Store & Resource Center. Register now to reserve your spot! 
Upcoming Events at the Berkeley Farmer's Markets
Saturday, June 18: Berkeley Public Library Story Time, 10:30-11AM
Saturday, June 18: Alameda County Community Food Bank CalFresh Information tabling
Tuesday June 21: California Revels Tabling & Performance
Saturday June 25: Berkeley Public Library Story Time, 10:30-11AM
Saturday, June 25: Alameda County Master Gardeners Tabling
Farmers' Market Hours & Locations
EBT and WIC Fruit & Vegetable checks gladly accepted and Market Match incentives distributed at all markets.
South Berkeley
Tuesdays, 2 - 6:30 pm
Adeline St. at 63rd St., 
Berkeley
North Berkeley
Thursdays, 3 - 7 pm 
Shattuck Ave. at Rose St., Berkeley
Downtown Berkeley
Saturdays, 10 am - 3 pm
Center St. at MLK Jr. Way, Berkeley
 
[Photo credit: Berkeley Farmers' Market Staff]