杏農家の杏宝園さんの事務所にお客さんと一緒に顔を出してみたら、採りたての杏で選別の作業で盛り上がっていました。今年は豊作だそうです。（２０１３年は花の時期で霜で損害があったため、杏が少なかった。）
写真から杏の尼酸っぱい香りは分かりますでしょうか？
I went with a guest and paid a visit to local apricot grower "Kyohoen". They were busy sorting freshly picked apricots that had just arrived from the nearby orchard along the Chikuma River.
This year apparently is a bumper crop for apricots. It is fortunate, because last year's was a disaster due to a frost hitting the orchards right at flowering time.
Can you smell the tart aroma of the apricots from the picture?
