3 Ways to Find Free Fruit to Preserve This Summer

This summer, I had the honor of taking my kids to the home where I grew up. There is no summer like an Idaho summer! Maybe it’s the long, cold winters that makes summer harvest all the more precious. It might be the completely dry heat with the ever-present breeze that revives my soul, even in 90 degree temps. Perhaps it’s the earth’s axis, causing the sun to be up until long past bedtime. Is it the fact that mosquitos are pretty much only found near standing water? The endless exploration available? The Snake River, always offering its refreshment? Whatever it is, despite the myriad of ‘paradises’ that I have lived, I am dogmatically confident:

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

No place will ever have my heart like my beloved Idaho!

My childhood summers were spent in the glorious shade and bounty of a massive apricot tree.

I would have the romantic notion to sit in the tree and read a book, but that would only last as long as it took me to notice the endless column of ants beneath me, hustling to store up their winter stock of sugar. I would lay out a blanket for a picnic, and end up just as slimed as I would’ve if I had sat in the apricot-laden grass to begin with. (We didn’t have fancy waterproof picnic blankets back then!)

My ultimate disdain for the tree came from mowing day. We even had a riding lawn mower, but those beefy tires were no match for the massive summer harvest of apricots covering the grass! My sister and I would tag-team the job; one would sit on the mower and lurch her body forward while the other one would push with all her might. Once the traction caught, the pusher inevitably fell on her face, only to do it all over again just a few feet away.

Despite all my grievances, one thing was sure:

I had the luxury of taking for granted the ultimate, albeit elusive, mascot of summer: fresh apricots. Every so often at a farmers market, one might come across a ripe peach. Even a plum every now and again. But I have NEVER seen, nor tasted, a tree-ripened apricot from any place other than the tree itself. Any apricot being sold is a total imposter. The two are NOT the same.

The paradox is that while people LOVE apricots, they hate having the tree. The family renting my parents’ house were more than willing to have us come and rob all that we could. The neighbor, whose lawn falls victim to the tree, was rejoicing when she saw us there. As people longing to have our own land, yearning to spend our Augusts laboring over our summer harvest, the joy was all ours.

So why am I bringing this up to you?

Because it was EYE OPENING for me to realize that people are over-burdened with the fruit of their trees. Especially if they are just renting, or moved into a place where a tree already existed. Chances are, the people living there are not into the old fashioned skills of canning and preserving. They are satisfied with a few handfuls of the fruit and could do without the rest. So, instead of feeling like my only option is to spend $70/flat on some u-pick summer harvest… Instead of feeling like I’d come across as a beggar when I see fruit rotting on the ground under trees… I’m going to confidently knock on those doors and offer my services!

I think YOU should do the same.

Initially, we were all up in the tree with buckets picking one apricot at a time. Even with 6 of us working, it was SLOW going. We asked the family living there if they had a sheet or a tarp we could borrow, and that was the way to go! Charlie would shake a branch over the tarp and they would all come tumbling down! (No way will we show up to harvest without a tarp now!)

We came home with probably 50 pounds of fruit. We made the trek back to San Diego during the night. (Charlie opted to drive back in the cool of the night because the belt on our car melted while we were stuck in desert road construction!) After driving all night and arriving home at 9am, you know all we wanted to do was sleep! But the gnats immediately swooned in and took that option away.

Many were getting smashed by the weight, so we separated the super ripe apricots and set them in a pot for jam. The rest, we rinsed and set aside for dehydrating and freeze drying. We ate all of the dried fruit in only a few days, despite being a great long-term solution! So grateful for the jam that will last us much longer!

You can see the difference in color between the dehydrated (on the left) and the freeze dried (on the right). The dehydrated ones were sweet and chewy. Nothing like the sulfated store-bought dried apricots, I assure you! (Even though those might look prettier!) The freeze dried apricots were super tart and light. I can’t say which ones I like better. I’m glad to live in a world where I can have both!

Let me know if you get up the courage to offer your services to some poor victim of a far too abundant summer harvest! And I would love to hear any stories of your childhood with crazy fruit tree shenanigans!