What to do with unripe apricots

December 20, 2012 1:55 AM

A friend helpfully picked all my apricots for me, many of which are absolutely green. Is there any way to ripen them? If not, is there any way to use them?
posted by Joe in Australia to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

No. If they were already orange but not soft yet then you could let them ripen in a sealed bag but I don't think apricots will ripen if picked while still green.
posted by atrazine at 2:06 AM on December 20, 2012

You can preserve them in a traditional English way which calls specifically for green apricots, or how about a chutney?
posted by Specklet at 2:32 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]

Green apricot chutney is AMAZING. Almost worth picking 'em green. almost. Since you've already got picked green ones, make green apricot chutney.

I assume your friend must be very young, as we were when we picked green ones, and I'm afraid that I don't have the exact recipe that we used.
posted by titanium_geek at 2:39 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]

Oh good god man, you must at least attempt some umeshu with them. Sochu isn't necessary, vodka will do (or soju, or any flavourless white spirit). I have it on good authority that green apricots work well.
posted by smoke at 2:44 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]

You can also use unripe apricots to make Umeboshi, if you're very patient. Here's an excellent recipe.
posted by j.edwards at 6:14 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

I googled ["green apricots" recipe] and there are several results, including Preserved Green Apricots.
posted by bunderful at 6:40 AM on December 20, 2012

Apparently some apricots are climacteric (i.e., they can riped post-picking), but some are not. What I'd do? I'd buy a some ripe-ass bananas, then seal a few of 'em in a plastic baggie with an apricot or two. If the apricots get riper, you've got climacteric ones! If not, you make some banana bread and some of that green apricot chutney.
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:22 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]

Umeshu would be the thing to do. The great thing is it will last for years and years and years - it tastes better with age, and we have some umeshu at our house in Japan made ten years ago that tastes fantastic.

This will save you from figuring out what to do with them, then doing it, and then eating it in one season.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:19 AM on December 20, 2012

The wikipedia page on ripening has some information about how to artificially ripen fruit...but I agree that making one of the things suggested above would be a better way to go.
posted by silvergoat at 1:02 PM on December 20, 2012