"Oooh, that fruit is bad."

Picking apricots at my Aunt's farm - the best ones are at the top!

Chris and I picked 11 gallons of apricots in July.  My cousin, who said she doesn't like apricots, couldn't get enough of the fruit.  Picking produce at its peak can make an apricot hater into a lover.  She decided it's canned apricots she doesn't like, fresh from the tree they are delectable. 

Chris took apricots to work to share, and was surprised by the reaction of many students, "Oooh, that fruit is bad."  When fruit trees have grown naturally, without chemicals, there will be spots and imperfections.  But many people are so removed from farm fresh, chemical free food, all they know is perfect fruit grown with pesticides.  After all, as I learned in college, "the eye eats first."  Unfortunately, the eye can be deceptive.

Needless to say, we've got canned apricot preserves, canned apricot halves, frozen apricots, and dried apricots.  We look forward to using the bounty this winter, thanks to a class I took at the Sedgwick County Extension Agency on canning where I learned about the National Center for Home Food Preservation.  It's a great resource to use for safe food preserving.  Chris and I have used the site multiple times this summer.