Sweet indulgence

Apricot growers start this year’s season early

The sweet, orange fruits from Victoria and David from the Weiss family business will soon be available to buy near Krems.(Bild: Imre Antal)

The first apricots of the season can already be tasted. This is because many farmers are now focusing on the early varieties.

The apricot gardens in the Weinviertel - the largest growing region in the country - are a hive of activity. "We've been working at full capacity for a long time," is the word from the wine and apricot region around Poysdorf. Wolfgang Hackl reports optimal conditions and top quality: the apricot grower from Atzelsdorf, not far from Mistelbach, is currently picking his few early varieties. "They're still more like pharmacy quantities for me. But things really get going for us at the weekend."

On average, the harvest is "two weeks earlier", says the direct marketer. On a positive note, the quality of the Weinviertel apricots is good: "It rained at the right time this year and the sun gave the fruit a real boost just in time."

After the few early varieties, the Weinviertel apricot professional Hackl is now getting down to business.(Bild: Marillenhof Hackl)

Earliest apricot harvest in a long time
Due to the early flowering at the end of February - around three weeks earlier than usual - the Weiss family from Rohrendorf in the district of Krems also postponed their apricot harvest. In "normal" years, the early varieties would not be harvested until mid-June. "We actually started this year's apricot harvest in May. We've never had that before," says Victoria Weiss. Due to the different varieties, they have an earlier and longer harvest than some other colleagues in the Wachau.

The freshly picked apricots are available to buy from Saturday at the sales stand directly on the B35 between Krems and Rohrendorf.