Orange Overload

There was once a cherry tree in my 'hood that decided to bear apricots after 15 years of barrenness.


They glowed and insisted on a few more photo ops.


They were teeny. Only slightly larger than a cherry. And deliciously and totally over-the-top tart. The best thing to do with them, I was told, was to dry them. So I sliced each little apricot into two and saved the stones. I might as well have not bothered for the kernels were bitter beyond compare.


I also sliced the flesh in a couple of places but not through the skin. This was to allow the apricot to retain its semi-circular shape to a certain extent. It took less than two days in the heat of the Colorado sun for them to lose their water content and harden into these unattractive shriveled bits.


I went through severe remorse each time I looked at in their direction. Worse still, the entire neighborhood had whooped at the marvel that was the apricot tree and for all practical purposes, it might have been barren again - for there wasn't a single fruit to be spied on those branches. We should have just eaten them as is or I should have cooked with them while they were fresh.

Then I soaked one half in some water. It rehydrated beautifully and the tart flavor is so intense that this could be a rival for kokum! A happy ending, after all!

And, just to make things very clear, this is not my entry to Bee's Grow Your Own event.

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