In this cold, we need something tropical. Today is National Apricot Day. I love apricots but they are pretty fragile and it can be tricky to get a hold of some good, unbruised ones. These made it unscathed but I didn't know what to do with them. They were on the large size, but I'd still need a ton to make jam. Instead, I decided to take advantage of the apricots being nearly as big around as a mason jar and pickle some halves. I just stacked them one on top of each other in 2 regular mouth pint jars. I didn't peel them (though you could) because the skin is perfectly tasty and edible even after pickling. I went for a tropical theme to the flavors to mix it up a bit and used fresh ginger, giant coconut flakes, mustard seeds, star anise and fish peppers (you could use cayenne peppers instead) from my garden for a bit of heat. I also used brown sugar instead of white for a light caramel flavor. They are fantastic! Try them on a cheese plate, in a sandwich or in a salad.
See full recipe here: http://www.coconutandlime.com/2013/08/tropical-heat-pickled-apricots.html
