The late private fruit breeder Fred Anderson, known as father of the modern-day nectarine, is credited with the development of yellow-fleshed nectarines in California. But he also made a mark on the apricot industry with his Patterson variety. The variety originated from Anderson’s breeding program located in Le Grand, California, and was released in 1968 to Burchell Nursery, a California-based, wholesale nursery. It was an F2 open-pollinated seedling of Perfection, selected for testing in 1959. Anderson and Irvin Burchell, founder of Burchell Nursery, were looking to develop a ­canning apricot that was a regular bearer and would resist pit burning, […]