photo from {flickr}.
i like my apricot jam to be slightly tart with a hint of sweetness. i don't want to follow traditional recipes of dumping in 6 CUPS OF SUGAR into 8 cups of pure fruit.
my recipe follows a low-pectin guide of 10 cups of chopped fruit to 2 C. of sugar; however, i do not add in any additional juices as the recipe suggests. instead, i allow my chopped fruit to sit over night with lemon juice and 1 C. of the 2 C. of sugar sprinkled on top. this allows the natural juices of the fruit to draw away from the fruit and soften the fruit a little.
oh, and don't think you have to pick a massive amount of apricots to make the jam! a few buckets full goes a long way. my family and i took 15 minutes the other night and picked off a low-lying tree. the kids each had a sand bucket full and we had a large bucket slightly full. all in all the apricots filled one side of my kitchen sink.
how much jam did this yield? 15 pints!!!!
photo from the {idea room.}
fresh apricot jam: yields 10 1/2 pints or 5 pints
10 C. chopped fruit
2 T. lemon juice
2 C. sugar
7 1/2 T. low-sugar fruit pectin
1) wash fruit well and pit.
2) chop into quarters and put into a large pot.
3) add in lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with 1 C. of the sugar. do not mix. cover and allow to sit overnight.
4) in the morning or the next day, bring fruit to a slow boil or med-high heat and add in pectin, 2 T. at a time, stirring to incorporate.
5) add in 1 C. sugar, stirring to incorporate and allow mixture to thicken.
6) as it thickens, transfer large ladles-full to a blender and chop/puree until desired consistency. add back into the pot and continue until you have the total desired consistency for your jam.
7) transfer jam to hot, sterile jars and top with hot, sterile lids (i boil mine to soften the gel and sterilize them).
8) process for 15 minutes for pint-size in a hot water bath canner. adjust for altitude. in utah and idaho for the elevation i have to increase my processing time by 10 minutes. so total process time is 25 minutes for pints.
9) after processing, remove from hot water bath and set on a single layer of towels on the counter top to cool for 24 hours. test lids for seal. if unsealed refrigerate and use within 3 weeks.
tip: i would use old dish towels if you don't want staining from fruit when canning! learned that the hard way!
in the end you have a beautiful, as-close-to-the-fruit-as-you-can-get, thick jam!
photo from {leites culinaria}.
photo from {love and olive oil}.
i love images of canned goods! they are so simply beautiful!
i'll continue to post a few more apricot recipes in the following days. i like my recipes to be simple and as healthy as possible, so i don't get extremely creative or inventive.
because i'm about 3 weeks from my due date i'll be limiting my canning this year. there are some things i MUST have, like peaches, pears and applesauce. those are family staples here.
if you don't already follow my pinterest boards you can see other apricot recipes that i pin on there to maybe try next year. apricot jam is all this girl will be making for this apricot season. next year i'd love to bottle a bunch of apricots, make apricot jabanero jam and do some baking etc. eventually it would be wonderful to have my own apricot tree. i can picture myself canning away and having the kids run a road-side stand to sell extra produce!
but there will be a few for you and yours to enjoy if you wish!
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