This green apricot relish recipe is a fabulous way to make use of all those green unripe apricots that fall off the tree before they have had a chance to ripen, and zucchinis which are also in abundance at this time off the year. It has an apricot-y taste that brings a light fruitiness that balances the sharp tanginess. It is wonderful spread on your favourite bread or cracker. Using Wild’s Ezy-sauce to add the acid and spices, it is a cinch to make and I adore this green apricot relish with a slice of creamy sharp tasty cheese on top of dense seedy bread.
Summer is finally upon us and we have had more warm days than cool. Our apricot tree is heavily laden with fruit for the first time in three years. The past few years we have had untimely rainstorms that have knocked all the blossoms off the tree during the precious few days when they need the bees to pollinate them, or heavy storms have soaked the unripe baby apricot fruit before they could grow and ripen.
I am not the only one who is waiting keenly for the apricots to ripen. The rainbow lorikeets have spied the apricots ripening on the tree and, at the merest hint of blushed yellow, are boldly munching their way through the slightly ripened fruit, greedily only chewing only half of each fruit before moving onto the next. My baby daughter and I went down to look at the apricot trees yesterday evening.
We stood about 1m away from a bow laden with apricots and watched the rainbow lorikeets walk along the tree branches. The birds were so bold that they didn’t fly away even though we were standing so close to them. They completely ignored us and continued to inspect the fruit for ripeness.
I was intrigued to watch as a particularly chubby lorikeet waddled along a branch and using its beak, it tested each apricot for ripeness by gently squeezing each fruit in turn. The lorikeet was so gentle testing for ripeness that its gloriously orange beak did not break the delicate skin of the apricot, I was very impressed with the skill the bird displayed at maintaining its food source, avoiding piercing its skin which would cause the fruit to rot prematurely.
The next morning was beautiful with not a hint of wind. I happened to wake up in the wee hours and not be able to get back to sleep. So, I got up and made a coffee with freshly ground coffee beans and enjoyed the peacefulness of the silent morning hours as the world continued to slumber.
As I sat on the couch sipping my coffee, I listened to the magpies chortling. Gazing out of the windows, I studied the laden branches of the apricot tree. Dozens of unripe apricots had already fallen to the ground and were nestled in the lush grass surrounding the tree. With so many unripe apricots having fallen off the tree, in my mind I began to muddle over recipes that would use green apricots.
I started thinking about what kind of texture and flavour profile green apricots have and a few experimental recipes came to mind; Green Apricot Relish, poached Green Apricot Tea Cake, green apricot and chili salad. As Christmas is approaching, would green apricots work in a sweet, spiced fruit mince for Green Apricot Fruit Mince Tarts? What about something that was traditionally tart like lemon tart? Would a Green Apricot Tart work? Maybe….
I decided to begin with making Green Apricot Relish and included zucchini, as I also have an abundant crop of zucchinis growing in the garden. I hope you also enjoy this recipe and find it a useful way to use two crops that are both in abundance at this time of the year.
Green Apricot Relish
Equipment
- 1 heavy bottom pot a heavy bottomed pot will allow you to let the relish simmer without the worry that the relish may burn.
Ingredients
- 860 grams green apricots slightly yellowed, but still tart and firm.
- 300 grams white or brown onions.
- 35 grams salt
- 412 grams sugar
- ⅓ bottle Wild's Ezy-Sauce
- 4 large zucchinis grated
Instructions
- Roughly chop zucchini and onions and place in large bowl.
- Sprinkle the chopped zucchini and onions with sugar and salt and stir through. Cover and leave to sit for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Deseed green apricots and roughly chop into thick wedges or slices, keep separate to add to the pot later.
- Pour vegetable, sugar and salt mixture into a heavy based pot. Add Ezy-Sauce to the pot and simmer on low heat for 2 hours stirring occasionally. After 1.5 hours add the chopped green apricots and cook for a further 30 minutes.
- Carefully ladle hot mixture into clean sterilised jars, place sterilised lids on, close tightly and allow to cool before storing.
Notes
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