Step 2: let the pits dry for a few days. Meh... I dried them for one day, because I'm not very patient.
Then, the instructions said to crack the pits open. I've tried it in the past and they're beastly hard, so I generally take the view that nobody goes around cracking them in nature, so they must be able to do without. This time, though, I'm sparing no effort. But since they're so hard to crack, I decided to boil them first.
Step 3: boil pits.
Number 4 is not pictured here, I used it for a trial run of the method. It worked, so now I'm boiling the other three. You just pour boiling water on them and wait for it to cool. Just like baobabs.
Step 4: crack pits.
I've never succeeded before, but this time, thanks to boiling, it worked! I was using a small locking clamp, which I think has more leverage than a nutcracker. I also don't have a nutcracker. I tried it before boiling and didn't even dent the shell, so when I applied force after boiling, I overdid it, and the shell flew into pieces which scattered all over the kitchen. The seed, though, fell on the counter right in front of me. That's not a good photo, but the seed is very pretty. I had no idea the inside of an apricot pit looked like this.
This is Number 4. Having cracked it, I boiled the other three pits, but when I tried to crack them, nothing. Don't swear, don't swear, don't swear. (I'm trying to swear less.) Ok, so I boiled them a second time, and while they were cooling, I went to walk the dog. I figured if they still wouldn't crack, I'd take the belt sander to them. I don't care what kind of crazy evolutionary strategy you've come up with, there is no way the belt sander won't get the best of you.
Luckily for everyone, after boiling a second time, the pits cracked, and in fact much more cleanly than Number 4, so they didn't spray shrapnel all over the kitchen.
Step 5: plant.
The pits are in order from most to least tasty, with Number 1 at 12 o'clock and the other three clockwise from there. Now you might argue that there seems to be five seeds, not four. That's because Number 2 was twins. Hmmmm... I wonder how common that is. On the one hand, it's pretty cool having twin apricot trees, and on the other hand, African lore says that there is only one soul per birth, so when you have twins, one has no soul, and you're better off to kill them both right away. So, maybe one of my apricot trees will turn out evil.
Step 6: cover.
That's to keep the moisture from evaporating. I didn't cover the pears and they dried out, so this time I know better. But I'm cheap and lazy, so I used the bag from the grocery store to cover them.
Step 7: stratify.
Blech... I don't have to tell you again how I feel about stratifying. My instructions say that apricots need four to six weeks. But the pears said 60 to 100 days and I sprouted them in only 30, so maybe the apricots will sprout in two weeks. Barring that, they should be ready by about August 1.
I'd be lying if I said waiting is my favourite part of gardening.
Then, the instructions said to crack the pits open. I've tried it in the past and they're beastly hard, so I generally take the view that nobody goes around cracking them in nature, so they must be able to do without. This time, though, I'm sparing no effort. But since they're so hard to crack, I decided to boil them first.
Step 3: boil pits.
Number 4 is not pictured here, I used it for a trial run of the method. It worked, so now I'm boiling the other three. You just pour boiling water on them and wait for it to cool. Just like baobabs.
Step 4: crack pits.
I've never succeeded before, but this time, thanks to boiling, it worked! I was using a small locking clamp, which I think has more leverage than a nutcracker. I also don't have a nutcracker. I tried it before boiling and didn't even dent the shell, so when I applied force after boiling, I overdid it, and the shell flew into pieces which scattered all over the kitchen. The seed, though, fell on the counter right in front of me. That's not a good photo, but the seed is very pretty. I had no idea the inside of an apricot pit looked like this.
This is Number 4. Having cracked it, I boiled the other three pits, but when I tried to crack them, nothing. Don't swear, don't swear, don't swear. (I'm trying to swear less.) Ok, so I boiled them a second time, and while they were cooling, I went to walk the dog. I figured if they still wouldn't crack, I'd take the belt sander to them. I don't care what kind of crazy evolutionary strategy you've come up with, there is no way the belt sander won't get the best of you.
Luckily for everyone, after boiling a second time, the pits cracked, and in fact much more cleanly than Number 4, so they didn't spray shrapnel all over the kitchen.
Step 5: plant.
The pits are in order from most to least tasty, with Number 1 at 12 o'clock and the other three clockwise from there. Now you might argue that there seems to be five seeds, not four. That's because Number 2 was twins. Hmmmm... I wonder how common that is. On the one hand, it's pretty cool having twin apricot trees, and on the other hand, African lore says that there is only one soul per birth, so when you have twins, one has no soul, and you're better off to kill them both right away. So, maybe one of my apricot trees will turn out evil.
Step 6: cover.
That's to keep the moisture from evaporating. I didn't cover the pears and they dried out, so this time I know better. But I'm cheap and lazy, so I used the bag from the grocery store to cover them.
Step 7: stratify.
Blech... I don't have to tell you again how I feel about stratifying. My instructions say that apricots need four to six weeks. But the pears said 60 to 100 days and I sprouted them in only 30, so maybe the apricots will sprout in two weeks. Barring that, they should be ready by about August 1.
I'd be lying if I said waiting is my favourite part of gardening.
5 comments:
I was surprised to read that you've never seen an apricot seed before!! Haven't you ever tried eating such seeds? They are as good as almonds! There are two kinds of apricot seeds: those that are sweet and those that are bitter. They say the bitter ones are not 100% pure bred apricot seeds, but I wouldn't know what that means. Anyway, the next time you need to crack open on of these, just give me a call and I'll come by to show you how to do it, it's really easy once you get the gist of it :) Uh, the sweet memories that reading this post brought to me... scorching summers eons ago, when I was wondering through my grandma's garden and decimating her apricot, peach, cherry, sour cherry and pear trees... ou sont les neiges d'antan...
Really????? Then why didn't MY grandma teach me? My Romanian heritage is clearly completely lost on me... :( Ok, next time I see you, I'm bringing an apricot.
Hm... you've obviously never tasted apricot jam with apricot seeds in it ... how about green walnut jam? that's also a Romanian delicacy :)
Frankly I thought apricot seeds were poisonous. And I never even heard of green walnut jam. Do they use the fruit? I thought the fruit was really bitter. But then again, so are oranges, and marmalade is pretty good.
green walnut jam is made with walnuts that are not fully grown, therefore their shell is still soft. you need to peel off the green pulp which surrounds the shell - which is full of iodine and stains like hell - then you boil the green walnuts and make them into jam. it's really delicious...
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