There are two stages of ripeness that a fruit will go through before it’s unusable for a recipe or snack: stone ripeness and flesh ripeness. Stone-ripe apricots have plump, tender flesh inside their skins and won’t break open when you squeeze them gently. When you’re buying apricots, make sure to pick up the ones which still have some yellow skin inside as this part is not as ripe as the bottom (which has turned brownish)