Tomorrow in the Apricot

These pictures are incredibly late, mostly because I avoided the internet during my vacation to the US the past few weeks. One of the first idioms many foreigners learn in Arabic, because it is at the beginning of one of the most popular learning Arabic books, is: bukra fil mish mish, meaning "Tomorrow in the Apricot." It used similarly as "When Pigs Fly." For this reason, the word for apricot, mish mish, is one of the first fruit names I remembered in Arabic. It has been one of my dreams since I moved here to make Apricot Jam. There is only a short season for apricots in Palestine, around the end of July. The two most famous cities for truly organic apricots are Jifna and Beit Jala. The apricots are recognizable by their rosy yellow color and rosy cheeks (a little different than the genetically modified brand we are used to). This year, was the first time I was able to make Apricot Jam with my boyfriend's mother, Ellen. She bought a big bundle of apricots from Beit Jala and we spent an evening making jam the traditional Palestinian way.


You can see the rosy cheeks on these apricots (mish mish).


Ellen stirring the chopped mish mish coated with sugar.


Ellen and I.


Eating a fresh mish mish. They are so tasty!!



After boiling for a while, the mish mish and sugar begin to foam. I wondered why we needed such a big pot, but soon realized we would have had foam everywhere if we didn't.


I felt like a witch stirring brew in my cauldron.


I had no idea that you could eat the pits of apricots. First you crack them and then peel of the skin, and they make a very tasty nut. Ellen added them to the jam.


Antwan and I filling jars of finished jam.


The finished product.