It's that time of year again - clearing space in the freezer to make way for bags of blanched fruit. The apricot tree is laden, fruit not quite ripe.....but, look....
Brown rot on the fruit . Que pena - que bloody nuisance. It seems that this and the nectarine and peach trees have to be drenched all over in the Autumn with a fungicide and again just before the blossom opens in the Spring. Some fruit is totally unblemished and are as hard as bullets.
I've harvested one crate, halved them and cut out any brown sides, blanched and bagged. And below is a batch I've simmered with Muscavado sugar to eat tonight with a creamy Greek yoghurt. 
The bags are now in the freezer for eating when the fruit season is over. The fruits will make a lovely almond crumble. I'll continue harvesting and freezing the good bits and those that do ripen that are unblemished will be eaten au naturel. By the weekend, the damsons will be ready and I'll be tied to the kitchen again repeating the whole process. I might even try my hand at jam.
4 comments:
Lady Luz you have got a great harvest, even with some Apricots blemished by a fungus. But still the best from your own trees. A lot of work too, I know! Apricot jam is one of my favourite. I cook the jam with half the sugar. Say 1kg Apricots 500g sugar. Cook the jam only until the apricots are very soft. This way it stays nice and golden and tastes fresh, not brown and boiled. Once open the jam keeps best in the fridge. I do my strawberries this way. I cut them up store in plastic bags into the freezer and when I need jam I make it.
Hi LadyLuz,
Those apricots look delicious (except for that rotting one =p).
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Wow, you've got loads! We've got an extremely small apricot tree, but most of them have blown off - we reckon the vendor planted a few trees in most unsuitable spots before he sold the house to improve the look of the garden. I didn't know you have to spray twice, I thought it was just the autumn spraying. Will be ready to do it twice this coming year.
Thanks Titania. I'll have a go at the apricot jam. It'll be like a production line here, as the apricots finish and the plums need attention.
Hi Jan. I've been told that treatment in the Spring before the blossom opens is usual as a preventive, but because we already have the fungus, we have to treat the whole tree, trunk, branches etc. in the autumn.
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