Exploring the desert and what it takes for plants, animals, and people to survive (with a touch of humor).
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Finding an Apricot
This past spring, the huge apricot on the side of our house was filled with beautiful apricot blossoms. We were hopeful that we would get a crop, because last year we had a late freeze and didn't get any apricots. But alas, we also had a late freeze this year, and so we resigned ourselves to another apricot-less year.
However, one day I was walking in the yard and a bit of orange caught my eye. I looked closer and found it wasn't one of Henry's chew toys, it was an apricot! I did a little dance of joy and picked it up, devouring it quickly. Apricots are one of my favorite fruits.
I looked up at the tree and saw that although there weren't apricots in the lower branches, the higher branches had a few of the brightly colored fruit. Early settlers to this area planted apricot and other fruit trees to feed themselves and the miners that were searching the desert for riches. This particular tree is about 50 years old.
I'm not the only one who likes the apricots, the birds are continually up in the tree. This apricot has a peck mark from a bird. Due to the long fall, many of the apricots are bruised, so I have to eat them quickly. It's such a hardship.
I have other competition for the apricots--Henry and Desert Boy. Both seem to like apricots a lot, and for awhile I was worried about Henry's lack of appetite for his dog food. Then I discovered that I was finding pits under the apricot tree and not apricots--because he was eating them.
This time Desert Boy gets the apricot and hurries off to enjoy it. We planted a variety of other fruit trees a couple years ago, but the late freeze got everything except the apples. We should be enjoying them in a couple months. I can hardly wait.
A forestry expert told me that this is the oldest, largest Apricot tree in Nevada. You are lucky to be getting any this year. It's often 5-7 years between crops in northeastern Nevada.
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This past spring, the huge apricot on the side of our house was filled with beautiful apricot blossoms. We were hopeful that we would get a crop, because last year we had a late freeze and didn't get any apricots. But alas, we also had a late freeze this year, and so we resigned ourselves to another apricot-less year.
However, one day I was walking in the yard and a bit of orange caught my eye. I looked closer and found it wasn't one of Henry's chew toys, it was an apricot! I did a little dance of joy and picked it up, devouring it quickly. Apricots are one of my favorite fruits.
I looked up at the tree and saw that although there weren't apricots in the lower branches, the higher branches had a few of the brightly colored fruit. Early settlers to this area planted apricot and other fruit trees to feed themselves and the miners that were searching the desert for riches. This particular tree is about 50 years old.
I'm not the only one who likes the apricots, the birds are continually up in the tree. This apricot has a peck mark from a bird. Due to the long fall, many of the apricots are bruised, so I have to eat them quickly. It's such a hardship.
I have other competition for the apricots--Henry and Desert Boy. Both seem to like apricots a lot, and for awhile I was worried about Henry's lack of appetite for his dog food. Then I discovered that I was finding pits under the apricot tree and not apricots--because he was eating them. 
This time Desert Boy gets the apricot and hurries off to enjoy it. We planted a variety of other fruit trees a couple years ago, but the late freeze got everything except the apples. We should be enjoying them in a couple months. I can hardly wait.
Ooh, those apricots are so good. Hope you get plenty.
ReplyDeletegs
A forestry expert told me that this is the oldest, largest Apricot tree in Nevada. You are lucky to be getting any this year. It's often 5-7 years between crops in northeastern Nevada.
ReplyDeletemmmm... fresh apricots
ReplyDelete