Recently, as we've driven around town on various errands, I have noticed an apricot tree a couple of blocks from our house. The tree and the ground around it are covered with ripe fruit. We have seen birds and bunnies nibbling on the fallen fruit and I've wondered why nobody is gathering it.
Today, on an impulse, I pulled over and rang the doorbell. An elderly gentleman answered and I asked him if we could gather a few apricots. He smiled and said I could take as much as I wanted. I thanked him and told him we would bring him some apricot jam.
We ran home and gathered up some baskets, buckets, and bags and set to work.
(Click on the photos to see all the apricots!)
Thanks to Google, I found a great site with detailed instructions on how to make apricot jam. We still have the basket and the large blue bucket left to process.
The moral to this story is, "It never hurts to ask." We have some wonderful, apricot jam to share with others and enjoy ourselves, made from scratch, for free! If I had never asked for permission to gather the fruit, I would have missed out on this great opportunity.
See my post on making wild plum jam and then go to Biblical Womanhood for more frugal tips.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Apricot Jam
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7 comments:
Yum! I am jealous. My Czech neighbor makes apricot dumplings that are to die for! She serves them as a meal with butter, cottage cheese and a tad of butter. Today she brought strawberry dumplings for our lunch. I prefer the apricot dumplings, but apricots are way too expensive down this way right now.
That is A LOT of apricots! What a fun family activity and adventure!
Wow- what a great find! I sure wish we could come across some free fruit! Unfortunately, we're right in the middle of the city, so fruit trees are scarce.
Enjoy your jam! Apricot is my mom's favorite, so it always makes me think of her.
Blessings,
Michele :)
www.frugalgranola.blogspot.com
My wife and I love that PickYourOwn site. Courtesy of farms we found on there, we've picked at least 3 gallons of blackberries, bought 5 pounds of blueberries for $10 (although that operation wasn't pesticide free, but we didn't know that until we were already forking over the money), and are going blueberry picking this weekend with friends from church. We've made blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry jam, blackberry jelly. The pies and cobblers are yet to come...
I am drooling...honest to goodness drooling..
I have learned so much from you! I love reading your blog. Each time I glean something that I can use and start using in my life! Thank you for being a blessing! :o)
The apricot jam is a great bonus, but the chance to make a friend of the older gentleman is an opportunity you need to explore. He would probably enjoy meeting all the children and having them tell him how much they enjoyed gathering the apricots and making the jam.
Just a thought.
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