Apricot Abundance

 Yes It's been a while since my last post but I've been busy...with the farm:  soil prep, weeding, planting, weeding, early harvest, weeding....and the weeding is winning.  Despite my biggest adversary the garden is in and so far very plentiful,  Spring gives me sugar snap peas, kale, chard, radishes, beets and fragrant sweet peas.  In early March I planted my tomatoes and I'm getting a few beauties already.  Soon I will be on a caprese salad diet.  But I want to post about my apricots. 

Gold Kist apricots grow in my zone.  I planted this tree 5 years ago and have had a huge harvest the last 3 years....too many really making me a slave to the apricots for the last 4 weeks.  The first bite of the first ripe fruit is heaven  You just can't get a flavorful apricot at the market.....maybe a Farmers Market.  At about week two I went out to pick up what had fallen on the soft grass that day and found this:

Over 50 had dropped since noon.  I actually had nightmares about what to do with all of this fruit.  I shared with my neighbors and friends and then I got to work:

First I made a batch of jam:

I find most of my successful canning recipes from Food in Jars.  This one starts with 8 cups of apricots and 3 1/2 cups of sugar plus a vanilla bean and lemon zest and juice.  About an hour later I have 3 pints of delicious jam.

So far I have jarred 16 pints and 8 half pints.  Jam anyone?

Last year I froze my extra but I didn't want to do that this year because I still have some in the freezer so I decided to can the apricots in quart jars.

Nineteen (19) quarts and a few pints of apricots.  This should get me through the winter

OK next I got out my dehydrator.....a must for anyone blessed with a bountiful harvest.  I used my vacuum sealer and produced 26 bags of dried apricots.  These will last quite a while.

Yesterday I celebrated baking with apricots and strawberries (also a good yield this year.  I went to Ina Garten's crostata recipe  for summer fruit and used 2 pounds of apricots and one cup of strawberries

Place in the center of a sweetened pastry (pate sucre)

Add the crumble topping and fold up the sides

Bake for 25 minutes at 450 degrees.

Crostatas can be made with any fruit.  It's simply a pie without the pie plate.  The pastry dough is rolled out; fruit tossed with flour, sugar and 2 Tbs of orange juice is then placed in the center leaving 1-2" of dough.  The dough edges are lifted up and gently over the fruit.  Go to Ina's recipe for specifics.

Most of you that know me know I consume very little sugar or flour or any processed foods at all but once in a while I treat myself to my own baking.  This was a treat.

I have maybe a day or two left of harvesting apricots.  My Anna apple is feeding me and my goats now and soon peaches.  But for today I am going to enjoy the last of the fresh fruit from my beautiful and generous tree.

Bon Appetit!

Blueberry/cranberry crostada

Blueberry/cranberry crostata, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

You can't see the cranberries because they are overpowered by the "blue" but you can taste them. This is a nice combination of sweet and tart. I used the recipe for the filling from "Bon Appetit" Thanksgiving issue but my regular crostata crust. This is great warm or cold with a little cinnamon whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

apple crostata

apple crostata, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

A crostata is a rustic form of an apple pie. The pate sucre or sweet pastry dough is rolled out into a 11-12 inch circle and transferred to a parchment lined baking pan. Then a filling of apple wedges ( about a pound and a half or 2 cups), 1/2 cup raisins, 1 TBS flour, 1 Tbs sugar, zest of 1 orange or lemon, 2 Tbs of the same juice and a healthy tsp of cinnamon is mixed and added to the center of the pastry circle leaving about a 1 1/2 inch border free to roll up and over the fruit to form a baking vessel. Then a softer dough of 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 Tbs butter and enough cold water to make a dough is mixed in the Cuisinart and then added in pieces on top of the fruit. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven. Rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool at least 10 minutes. For the original recipe from Ina Garten here is the link.
Bon Appetit!

and Voila! Peach Crostata

peach crostata, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

After harvesting the peaches; stopping to capture them in watercolor and baking them in a variation of Ina Garten's "summer fruit crostata" here is the result. I am ready to take a bite.....