My husband, Dave, took this video of our old apricot tree on the first day of Spring. That was last Monday.
The temperature was hovering around 80 degrees and we could hear the bees buzzing fifty feet before reaching the tree.
I took this video of the same tree this afternoon. The weather forecast says we could get three inches of snow before it is finished and low temperatures around 28 degrees. Maybe the snow will be enough insulation to keep the buds and newly pollinated flowers from frost damage. Maybe not.
I have to admit I have mixed feelings about losing this year's crop of apricots. A full tree of fruit means a solid week of hard work. Each day I pick fruit in the morning, then I find myself pitting and cooking jam or freezing or drying the halves for the rest of the day. By the end of the week I am exhausted with a cellar full of the best apricot jam I have ever tasted. So I will have to wait to see if Mother Nature has a vacation from apricots in store for me this June.
Here is a recipe for Apricot Butter. It uses apricot jam but you could try it with other types like strawberry or raspberry. It is wonderful on home made bread, muffins, scones, and even pancakes.
Apricot Butter
1/2 cup (one stick) lightly salted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons home made apricot jam
1 Tablespoon powered sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Put all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir together until smooth. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate. If refrigerated, soften to room temperature before serving.
