BBQ Apricots with Fetta and Mint

Slight hic-cup with the kitchen and it won't be going in today but that's OK, it's been six months so another few days won't matter. We have relied heavily on the BBQ for most of our meals, especially breakfasts.

Apricots are ripe now and there is another glut to add to the zucchini! 

For breakfast we are having zucchini fritters with spring onion and basil (not too much) from the garden and I'm sure you know how to make these or if not type "fritter" into the search box at the side and I'm sure another post will give a method and recipe.

As for the apricots, simply cut in half and pop a wedge of feta in the indent where the stone was and add a little finely chopped mint. I am cooking them in some coconut oil on the BBQ on a med-high heat. After a few minutes, turn gently and cook for slightly less time than the first side. Use a spatula to remove, neatly keeping all the feta yumminess intact.

The apricots are soft and sort of jammy and a perfect summer accompaniment for the fritters. Love this for breakfast but of course it would be suitable for any meal or BBQ  entertaining. Feta is a very handy ingredient in the fridge and makes many a meal special. It seems to go with just about anything!

And don't stop there, take them cold for lunch as well!

Living Better in January-Apricots

Our Living Better With Less group met up again last week and it was good to see everyone after our Christmas break. Unfortunately the Workers Club has let us down yet again so we are on the hunt for a new venue. I will post the new details soon.

The Living Better With Less group is a free interest group for people wanting to live a better life with less money, chemicals and "stuff". We focus on gardening, housekeeping, foraging, preserving and net work together for a simpler but richer life. We meet on the last Thursday of every month except December from 7-9pm.

We focus on seasonal activities and right now in Tasmania, apricots are ripening right now.

If you are able to get hold of some nice firm just ripe apricots they are great for bottling using a water bath method but if they have turned the corner and started to become soft then you might like to consider stewing and then freezing or blending to a thick liquid and dehydrating to a fruit leather.

Fruit leathers can be done in your dehydrator on the solid sheets or you can cut baking paper to fit the trays and this works well too. After a few hours when the leather has become a sticky firm sheet it can be rolled in baking paper and stored in a cool cupboard for lunch boxes and snacks.

We also talked about drying apricot halves in a dehydrator. This can take many hours up to one or two days depending on the size of the fruit. I rotate my shelves from bottom to top to try to get even drying and inspect from time to time removing any ready fruit.

It's important to note that home dried fruit in this way is sulphur free and therefore looks different to the commercially prepared ones. Instead of glowing orange orbs, they are more like burnt umber and have some darkened spots where the concentrated fruit sugars have cooked.

After passing around taste tests they were found to be every bit as delicious.

I have become a big fan of dehydrating. It reduces the size of your crop significantly allowing you to fit kilos and kilos into just a couple of jars. You can opt to solar dry but I find the electric one is very quick and draws very little energy and maintains a lot of colour, especially in herbs. It is a great alternative to freezing where space is often at a premium. I believe in spreading food storage over a number of methods; if anything were to happen to your power supply at least you would not lose all your stores.

And of course, having dried apricots on hand is a must for my most asked for recipe

The 

Apricot and Pumpkin Seed Cake/Loaf

One thing is for sure, there is no time to lose when you get your hands on a case of apricots from the market or a couple of buckets from a friend, apricots will ripen in a matter of a day or two so be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get them saved for some treats in the winter months to come.

NRG Bars

These bars are a great lunch box food for high energy so they are ideal for children and shearers.

NRG Bars

125g of melted butter

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup sunflower kernals

1/2 cup pumpkin seed kernals

1/3 cup sesame seeds

4 cups of rice bubbles or similar

Simmer the butter, honey and sugar for about 5 mins

Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Add the honey mix and combine well.

Press into a slice tin with damp hands.

Refrigerate.

We are not the packaged cereal eating kind so I was shocked when I went to the local shop to find that rice bubbles were twice the price of corn flakes. You will observe my mixture uses lightly crushed corn flakes instead of rice bubbles. I also had a scant handful of sultanas so they went in too.

As I said, ideal for lunch boxes and less sugar than a muesli bar. Great for the 3pm afternoon flag.

These are best made in winter as summer heat tends to make them a bit soft and melty in the lunch box by midday. 

Cost is about $4 to make and you would easily get at least 10-12 serves.

Most Asked for Recipe

I make this Apricot Loaf a lot.

Translucent orange orbs slightly gooey contrasted with the meaty crunch of a pumpkin seed kernal.

It has no butter, no eggs and it's a very flexible recipe that I fiddle depending on what's in the cupboard.

It can be frozen or it keeps for days.

It travels well.

It is healthy, wholesome and great for lunchboxes.

It can be sliced and buttered but we love it plain and simple.

It's humble looks are very deceiving, and thats why, as soon anyone bites into it,

it's my Most Asked for Recipe.

3/4 cup coconut

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin seed kernals

1 cup of All-Bran or crushed Weet-bix

1 cup chopped dried apricots

1 1/2 cups of self raising flour

1 1/2 cups of milk

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the milk and mix. Bake in a greased loaf tin in a moderate oven for about

50-60 mins. Stand in the pan for 5 mins and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.....

(though this cake is often cut warm too in our house)

To fiddle; you can cut back the sugar, you can use skim milk if preferred. I have been known to use Cornflakes or Bran flakes if thats all there is to hand but I would increase the ammount by an additional half cup. I've used dates, sultanas, cranberries. I've used chopped almonds, sunlower kernals, pecans, macadamias....

If you use wholemeal flour, splash in a little more milk.

I have never substituted the coconut or the rolled oats. I have not fiddled this for a gluten free version.

I have been making this cake for 25 years now and don't even remember where it came from but I hope it will keep you in good stead too when you are raiding the store cupboard to whip up something quick.