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Most of us do not have a really good appreciation of apricots and I think the reason is that we do not see many fresh apricots in the market place because they do not ship well. Many of us are very familiar with dried apricots. However, they do not hold a candle to the tastes and smell of a fresh one.

Though we do not have many commercial growers of apricots in the United States, apricot trees are truly beautiful and make a nice addition to any landscaping or even a small home orchard.

If you live in a cold climate dwarf apricot trees are great container trees because they can be wheeled inside your garage or other enclosed areas during the winter and if you live in a very hot climate you can do the same with these container trees in summer because the apricot is not tolerant to spells of long high summer heat.

Your best bet is a good generic dwarf apricot tree that will give you about 1 or 2 bushels of fruit each year and they can be planted in the early spring by those living in the northern and eastern parts of the US. The best trees to buy are dormant bare-root apricot trees. For those living in mild weather climates such as California you can do your planting in the fall.

Should you decide to plant a few standard size apricot trees remember they grow from 25 to 30 feet tall and should be planted about 25 feet apart from other trees. The standard tree will yield about 3 or 4 bushels of fruit each fall.

Should you decide to plant dwarf apricot trees then plant them about 8 to 12 feet apart and keep them weeded down in a 4 foot diameter during early growth. Remember to dig a good size hole and as you fill in the hole with soil around your tree, generously add water and keep adding water as it seeps in over the soil and roots. Fertilize with good compost or organic fertilizer every two months.

Depending on your zone harvesting of either kind is done in July or August and remember to use them in your best recipes.

My favorite recipe for fresh apricots is Apple-Cherry Crisp and I am sharing it with you.

First I make a crisp topping with the following ingredients.
1 cup unbleached white flour, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, ½ tsp, cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ pound of cold unsalted butter which I have cut into ¼ inch cubes, ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans. I blend these all together. These keep well in a well sealed container in the refrigerator so you can double this recipe easily.

Next I preheat the over to 375°F.

In a bowl I put in 6 cups of quartered apricots which usually is the result of about 1 & ½ pounds, I add 2 cups of pitted bing cherries, (which is usually the result of ½ pound), Zest of 1 lemon, minced, ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of unbleached white flour, 1 heaping tsp of grated fresh ginger. I gently fold all this together until fruit is mixed well and then I pour it all into a 9 inch square or round pan, leveling the fruit and pouring all the crisp topping onto the fruit.

I then bake it for 45 to 50 minutes until the crisp is golden brown and the juices are bubbling around the sides of the pan.

Think about planting some apricot trees. They will tolerate temperatures from minus 30 degrees F to over 100 degrees. Their flowers will be killed by the cold, but the tree will come back next year.

"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime… May your day be filled with…Peace, Light and Love,

 

Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com