Apricots part 2
A while back, when I was writing about and searching for ‘The Plant of the Month’, I wrote about one of my own favorite trees- the Apricot (June 2003). It was and still is one of my favorites. In the spring it is the first tree on the block in full bloom- weeks before any of the crabs, and cherries, has a glorious scent that can be enjoyed for several hundred feet before you even notice its tremendous size and beauty. In the winter, it has a lovely full shape- much wider than it is tall, with lovely reddish brown bark. In the fall it’s leaves turn golden and orange, with a bit of red here and there. The summer foliage is a soft green heartshaped leaf, glossy, and pest free. Fruit is uncertain, some years, there is not much to speak of, late frosts causing most of the fruit to drop off before it even gets a chance to develop. The rest of the fruit may be ruined by squirrels, birds and riddled with insects. But some years, there is a full, absolutely amazing crop of fruit, so much so that the branches brush the ground they are so heavy. So much so, that even after throwing away a good part of the crop, damaged by vermin or molds, there is an astounding amount of fruit. This was one of those years.
The tree bloomed as usual this year, and was enjoyed by all- some, having heard of the tree’s beauty coming from miles around just to see it and smell it. I thought for sure that since we had such a long very cold spring, that this would again be a year that the fruit would be ruined, and the crop insignificant. This standard size tree has grown and flourished in the front yard for 14 years, has reached a height of about 20 feet by about 30 feet wide, and has only had one crop of fruit in all of those years. And so, I didn’t bother to spray, and considered it a lost year. It was disappointing after seeing all of those beautiful branches just covered in white popcorn flowers, and the petal fall that resembled snow that followed. When it actually did snow a couple of weeks later when everything else was in full bloom, I thought for sure, there would be no apricots this year.
So, you say to yourself, what’s the big deal about Apricots? They’re not that great, I’ve bought them at the grocery store, not much flavor there. True- a store bought Apricot is bland and mealy, pretty small, over priced and has no flavor. But a tree ripened Apricot, one that has spent it’s full time on the tree, until a slight tug and twist releases it’s hold, is a little bit of heaven, all wrapped up in a soft golden orange skin. The flavor is astoundingly sweet and wonderfully juicy, with just the right amount of tartness. Mmmmmmmm!
Two years ago, when the tree last bore some usable fruit, I was amazed and delighted to have six feet of my kitchen counter buried in large Apricots. This season, I had nearly that amount of fruit Every Day for two weeks! I lived, breathed, ate, and dreamed Apricots 24/7. I’m not kidding. There are very few recipes that call for fresh apricots, so after I made a couple of batches of jam- which by the way only used about six cups of fruit, I had to start making up recipes. When I read the list of ways I used them, I begin to sound like Bubba, the shrimp guy, in Forest Gump: Apricot Jam, Apricot Cobbler, Apricot Pie, Apricot Crisp, Apricot topping, Spiced Apricots, Sliced Apricots, Frozen Apricots, Plain ol’ Apricots, fresh out of hand Apricots, Canned Apricots, Dried Apricots, Apricot Ice, Spicy Apricot Rosemary Sauce, and Apricot Salsa. I gave away Apricots, sold Apricots to a market vendor, let the dogs eat Apricots, and begged people to try Apricots. People walking by would take Apricots home, their children would pick Apricots, and Margot came over several times and took Apricots home too. Roughly, I estimate that there was easily 25 gallons of usable Apricots harvested this season, quite possibly a lot more- I know I wasn’t very accurate in measuring- there just wasn’t time.
So that’s the story of how I spent two weeks of my summer. It was quite an experience, and I only hope that the dozens of containers of Apricots now in my pantry and freezer are gone by the time next July rolls around, just in case. Oh, and if you have been thinking of getting an Apricot tree for your landscape- get a dwarf one. Trust me.
