On Jul 29, 1:00*pm, semi-ambivalent wrote:
On Jul 27, 12:52*am, sherwin dubren wrote:





On 7\/17/2010 9:44 PM, semi-ambivalent wrote:

For the first time since we planted it eight years ago our apricot
tree is fruiting. Here in Denver there are often late storms that
freeze out any blossoms, but not this year. We have fruit almost as
large as a tennis balls. When is it ready to pick? I've read that
commercial apricots are picked quite green and ripened off the tree
and this is why they are dry and mealy. Indeed, this is why I stopped
buying apricots decades ago. Ours are very juicy but still a bit hard..
The ones that fall on the ground are wonderful but mushy from
bruising.

Should I wait to let them get soft on the tree or pick the soft-ish
ones now and ripen them in a bag at room temperature? I don't know
what to do; we're going to have bushels and bushels...

sa

* *With peaches and apricots, I try and leave them on the tree as long
* *as possible to get their maximum sweetness and flavor. *However, when
* *They start to feel soft, I pick them. *For me, they should be soft
* *on most of the surface. *Sometimes the fruit will ripen first on one
* *side that faces the sun. *Of course, picking them a bit hard will give
* *you a longer shelf life, but store them in the frig, in any case.. *Fpr
* *canning, you also want them to be slightly firm.

* *I envy your apricot crop. *My Moorpark kind of fizzled out this year,
* *but I should have a good number of Redhaven peaches.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Sherwin

I have had to learn pretty quickly! It was indeed an awesome crop; we
had a lot of fruits that were almost as big as a medium peach. The
trick *is* to pick daily. I couldn't so I rigged a 20'x20' bird
netting under the tree to try and keep the fruits from hitting the
ground and bursting open. Many still suffered damage from hitting
branches on the way down .

The taste was spectacular; way beyond anything I've had from a store
or private stand. We're having the tree pruned this winter to clean up
the squirrel damage so I expect (if we have another easy Winter), I'll
have to deal with this again next year. If I had it all to do again
I'd have planted a peach. I (and our friends and co-workers) can stand
to eat only so many apricots...

Thanks everyone for the help.

sa- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Remember for next year - the mushy ones are the best for drying.

Susan B.