If you happen to pass by a pile of apricots at a farmers market in the New York area, take a little time to appreciate the combination of skill and luck that brought them to harvest. While California produces a bounty of the fuzzy little stone fruit, locally grown apricots are a comparative rarity and the season is short. Red Jacket Orchards senior orchard operations manager Mike Biltonen expects that this year’s local apricot season will wrap up around the second week of August.