# Apricots



## catsraven

We have some apricots this year. Unfortunately they are a bit pasty. I was going to can them but Im not sure how they will turn out. They taste good, just a bit pasty. Any suggestions?


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## bunkerbob

JAM!!!!!!....Yummmmie


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## catsraven

lol Yes I did think of that but is it going to be good? I guess Ill find out.


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## NaeKid

Fruit-roll-ups (Leather) done in a dehydrator

Apricot sauce (like apple-sauce) cooked up with some sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

Edit: Found a recipe online for another apricot sauce - looks yummy so I will try it when apricots come into season around here ..

*Ingredients* 
4 oz dried apricots 
3/4 cup apple juice 
1/2 cup orange juice 
1/4 cup honey 
2 Tbsp water 
2 tsp cornstarch 
Ground ginger and cinnamon, to taste 
1 Tbsp Sweet Vermouth

*Method*
Cover the apricots with the apple juice and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Stir the apricots occasionally so they will not stick or burn. Let the apricots cool, then strain. Reserve the cooking liquid. Chop the cooked apricots and set aside.

In a 2-qt saucepan combine the orange juice, honey, water, cornstarch, ginger and cinnamon. Heat, stirring constantly, until thickened slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the apricots, their cooking liquid and vermouth. Serve hot or well chilled.

Serve over pork or with fresh fish for main entrees, or spoon as a sauce over cheesecake or ice cream for scrumptious desserts!


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## bunkerbob

catsraven said:


> lol Yes I did think of that but is it going to be good? I guess Ill find out.


I don't see why it wouldn't. You have to mash or puree the apricots first anyway for jam, apricot preserves you use the whole cut up fruit.
By the way I use the jam that dosen't firm up as topping for ice cream, cheese cake or sauces as Naekid mentioned.


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## TechAdmin

I like the leather idea. I've been going nuts with it lately though so of course I would recommend it.


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## catsraven

Thanks everyone I just was not sure how they would taste as jam. Yes Im going with jam. 

NaeKid, that sauce sounds good. I think Ill make some for a pork roast that is in the freezer.


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## UncleJoe

Apricot juice. Nectar of the gods. :2thumb:


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## gypsysue

NaeKid, you're in Canada...do apricots grow up there???


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## NaeKid

gypsysue said:


> NaeKid, you're in Canada...do apricots grow up there???


As far as I know, yes.

Throughout the Kootenays and Okanagan in BritishColumbia we have lots of apples, peaches, apricots, grapes, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, etc ... some areas grew better than others for certain plants and other areas didn't grow at all (north-side of the mountain vs south-side). My village always had the sun shine as it was on the south-side of the mountain. The others on the other side of the valley were on the cool-side, never getting much sunshine (they faced north).

When I was a kid, I used to climb trees picking the fruit for neighbors. My parents had plum, apple and crab-apple trees (not counting the oak and pine trees in the yard), full garden with tomato, lettuce, carrots (and more - can't remember all) and of course, my favorite, rhubarb. My best friend's parents had apple and cherry trees. Customer's along my paper-route had me come over on weekends to help pick their trees bare (yes, I could take home enough to make jams, pies, etc) ...

Used to press-out our own apple-juice and plum juice ... YUMMY!


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## gypsysue

sounds like a great place to grow up!


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## NaeKid

gypsysue said:


> sounds like a great place to grow up!


It was a great place to grow up. If I could find a job out there, I would move in a heartbeat!!!

If you draw a line on a map from Spokane, WA straight-north to the Canadian / American border and at that point stop drawing the line, the tip of the pen would be on the house I grew up in. If I remember correctly, SurvivalNut lives just on the south-side of the border from where I grew up ... :wave:


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## gypsysue

Well, that's not terribly far from where we are, but our elevation limits us to fruits like apples, cherries, berries, and the like. Wonder if a person can drive over there and buy bushels of apricots for a decent price. What time of year would that be? We LOVE apricots. It would be great to Can or dry my own.


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## NaeKid

From your place - cross-over the lake to highway 3 and head west a couple-o-hours to Creston and visit the orchards there. I don't know what the rules are for border-crossing with fresh-fruit, so, you might wanna check into that before you spend the big-coin on a truck-load and then have to leave it all behind.

Orchard Lists for Creston B.C. Canada

Edit: I found a site that has some information about bringing fresh-fruit from Canada to the USA. I don't know how current it is, so, you may want to double-check with border-services

Border Crossing Info


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## gypsysue

Thanks for the info. The border crossing information might be outdated though. It says you can cross into the US with a driver's license or birth certificate. But I'm pretty sure it's a requirement now to have a passport. 

However, it does say fresh fruit, other than citrus, etc., is allowed across into the States. When the time comes I'll probably see what the money exchange is, then decide whether to buy in Canada or Washington!

I wonder who sprays less insecticide on the trees?


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## NaeKid

If you wanted to stay on your side of the border, you could head towards Bonners Ferry, ID (Highway 95 / Highway 2) and probably get the same kind of fruits / vegies in the same valley that Creston is in.


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## catsraven

The info is not out of date. All you need is birth certificate and driver's license. Unless you fly, then you do need a passport.


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## TechAdmin

gypsysue said:


> Thanks for the info. The border crossing information might be outdated though. It says you can cross into the US with a driver's license or birth certificate. But I'm pretty sure it's a requirement now to have a passport.
> 
> However, it does say fresh fruit, other than citrus, etc., is allowed across into the States. When the time comes I'll probably see what the money exchange is, then decide whether to buy in Canada or Washington!
> 
> I wonder who sprays less insecticide on the trees?


Total average or per Tree? Oh I think we all know the answer. Why won't they let you travel with citrus?


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## gypsysue

Dunno, about the citrus, but if you go to the customs link naekid posted above, it has a list. The first list is what you can bring up in TO Canada and what you can't. 

The second list is coming from Canada in to the USA. The citrus is only on the list coming from Canada into the USA. You can take citrus the other direction, up into Canada. 

For all I know, the citrus lobby doesn't want individuals bringing it into the US...like Canada is a hot market for growing oranges and lemons, eh?


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## NaeKid

I would imagine that citrus is denied due to the fact that we don't grow it here. It doesn't make sense to grow it in Florida, ship to Canada, and then bring it back down into the USA.


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## TechAdmin

That's weird. You can't bring in potatoes from BC, but the rest of Canada is OK?


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