Farm girls are no strangers to harvests. Some years are heavy with disappointment, and some years are bountiful. This year, with the perfect weather, the entire region is experiencing huge fruit crops. The plums are ripening next, followed by peaches and nectarines.
I’m dealing with the second harvest of the year. The first tree dropped the entire crop in less than four days. My “Banyan apricot” is takin her sweet time, giving me a couple buckets a day. Just enough to keep my attention on using as many as I can. Truly, there is only so much one old woman can harvest alone.
Reviewing the past four seasons, there are been two harvests and two years without any crop at all. The barren years were hit with frosts and snow during bloom. The uncertainty of desert fruit makes a bumper harvest all the more precious.
The Mysterious Marine has his own harvest of garden vegetables. The potatoes are plotting, not yet revealing what’s hidden just beneath the surface. The garlic and onions are almost ready for harvest. The purple bell peppers are taking their own sweet time, while the cherry tomatoes have almost outpaced their biggest garden pest. Me.
With all this produce, it’s hard to keep ahead of recipes to use these things. Especially the apricots. I’ve used the following methods, and the tree is still loaded.
Apricot Pie – 1
Apricot Jam — 28 jars.
Canned apricots — 16 pints
Dried Apricots — 5 dehydrator trays.
Apricot Leather — to be attempted this weekend.
Apricot Galette with Cream Cheese and Pisatachios– new recipe for tomorrow night
Apricot Jam over Turkey Roast — Winner-Winner Turkey Dinner
I’m losing the fight. Last night, I raked up and disposed of pounds of fallen apricots, full of ants and bugs. I’ll battle on today.
Offering the excess fruit for the picking, I’ve called the Mormon church. Neighbors. Church Sisters. Finally, Ninja Neighbor and her friend, Grasshopper, came over last night to take a few off my hands. I met young Grasshopper almost two years ago at a neighborhood garage sale. To say he is impressive doesn’t even cover it.
“I can help you with whatever chores you have!” he said last night, beaming through clear eyes and a wide smile. I’m not sure of his age, but his heart is so pure.
“Are you saving up for something special?”
“Yes. I want to buy a dress for my mom.”
Okie-Dokie, then, I need to find some jobs for this guy. He’s the real deal. Ninja Neighbor keeps him pretty busy. Just yesterday, he helped her thin her apple tree (Hmmmmm. My apple tree is as loaded as the apricot tree.) He sliced apricots for her dehydrator. He tends her garden. Yes. I need to think on this and become a client. Quickly. He’ll soon be booked up!
As Ninja Neighbor, Grasshopper, and I picked apricots, I thought about the blessing of great neighbors. People of faith. Solid neighbors that are there, day or night. Fence neighbors that always have time to visit. Neighbors who will come to get some fruit during a bountiful year. Ride or die, neighbors.
We decided that a September block party is something we all need to welcome the new neighbors to our hood. There are many moving in. A BBQ will be a great way to meet the new folks. Ninja Neighbor, young Grasshopper, and I are going to think of this and make it happen. Welcome Home, 2023!
In this face paced world, it’s easy to hit the garage door button, drive in, and hit it again. Keep the curtains shut tight and live in your own little world. At times, the life of the hermit is necessary. But, there’s so much life missed by staying behind the front door. Get out for a walk and see what’s going on just down the street and around the corner.
Here’s the challenge. In the next week, meet one neighbor with whom you haven’t spoken. Just one. Even if it’s just a “Hello” and quick compliment about their yard. Make one contact. You just might meet a young man who needs work because he’s buying his mom a new dress.
More tomorrow.