California Apricots

All I knew growing up was that my mom liked to steal them. Apricots. She grew up in San Benito County, CA stealing green apricots from the orchards near her home. She had grand tummy-aches from them, too. I knew enough to wait for them to turn deep orange with a rosy splotch across the roundest part of the fruit. It is the taste of California sunshine.

Since we lived hours away in the Sierras I didn't get to participate much in the stealing, but we always brought back bags of dried apricots when we drove over Carson Pass to visit family. Ones we purchased, of course. Apricot tea ring remains a holy tradition Christmas morning. If you have a good cinnamon roll recipe, use that and replace the cinnamon filling with one made from dried apricots:

1 c. dried cots, chopped (ask for CA apricots)

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a pan, bring to a boil and simmer until the dried fruit turns mushy and the sugar is dissolved. Cool. Then spread on your dough and roll up. Continue with your cinnamon roll recipe for rising and baking instructions. Or pester me for the full recipe (this much I have memorized).

Once, when my kids were little we travelled with mom to California and it happened to be the right time of year--apricots were on the trees. She was so delighted to teach my oldest daughter how to reach up into the bowing branch and pluck a near ripe fruit.

It wasn't until later I discovered through family research that mom's Bumpa and Auntie Christine started some of the very first apricot orchards in Hollister. All excited to share the news, mom told me she already knew that, and began to explain where the land was now situated.

I guess the stealing of apricots was really just reaching back into time to touch the very trees our family planted generations ago. By the way, mom, thanks for the awesome bag of dried apricots and preserves!