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This year, the garden has been a total flop. With our first frost expected in less than two weeks from our garden this year, we have harvested six heads of broccoli, six heads of lettuce, and a hand full of radishes. But our fruit trees have performed beautifully, leaving me with ten pounds of apricots, so I’ve been busy picking and preserving for days.
We live in bear country, so all the trees have to be harvested as quickly as possible, and we have to pick up and remove deadfall immediately. That is what led to this recipe. While cleaning up deadfall, I spied a lovely apricot nestled in the basil. I popped it in my mouth and was rewarded with an unexpected finding. Basil and Apricot are meant to be together!
Basil is one of my favorite herbs to grow each season, and even in lousy gardening years, it always seems to thrive. Once I tasted this pairing, I set out to find every recipe I could that combined the two. Surprisingly, there weren’t that many. So, I got to creating. This is the result!
I can not wait for this weekend's pancakes to pour this syrup all over that fluffy goodness! It also makes an excellent addition to cocktails if you’re so inclined.
Apricot Basil Syrup
The surprising addition of a hint of basil elevates the sweet apricot to another level.
Ingredients:
3 cups apricots halved, pitted, and chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Instructions:
In a medium-sized pot, bring the apricots, basil, water, and lemon juice to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fruit starts to soften, approx 5 minutes.
Stir in the sugar and continue simmering until the syrup has thickened and the fruit has broken down—approximately 15-20 minutes.
Skim off any foam that's formed on the surface and discard.
For smoother syrup, blend with a hand mixer, blender, or food processor.
The recipe makes approximately three half-pint jars. You can store this syrup in the fridge for up to one week or process it in a water bath for 10 minutes for long-term storage.
For the Love of Summer Fruits
One of my favorite summer joys is the bounty of fresh fruit, plump and juicy and ripe. Nothing compares, and I love to mix herbs with fruits, especially basil, rosemary, and lavender. In this recipe, the basil adds an unexpected depth to the sweetness of the apricots. If you try this recipe at home, tell us all about it in the comments below. Or drop us a note about your favorite apricot recipes. I still have so many pounds to process, and I would love some new ideas! Until next time,
