How to Make Apricot Jam

We have an apricot tree. Mother & I make apricot jam every year, and it has been over 10 years since we have purchased apricot jam at the store.  This year, she is out of town, and the apricots are falling on the ground and getting out of control. Last week, I took all the ones that fell on the ground and put them in my dehydrator to make lots of dried apricots. Now, this week has come, and what to do? I can only think to make jam.

Tools Needed for Canning

I gather my canning tools:

• Large canning pot
• Lids
• Rings
• 1 pint glass jars (any size will do)
• Magnetic stick (to grab the lids from the boiling pan)
• Canning tongs
• Several large glass bowls (8 cups worked best for me)
• Cutting board
• Wide mouth funnel

Ingredients for Apricot Jam

• Pectin
• 4 cups of organic cane sugar OR 3 cups of apple / grape juice
• 8 cups of raw apricots
• ¼ cup of lemon juice (bottled is fine) per 8 cups of chopped apricots

Jam can ONLY be made in rather small batches – about 6 cups at a time – like the directions on the pectin say, DO NOT increase the recipes or the jam won’t “set” (gel, thicken). It takes about 8 cups of raw, unprepared Apricots per batch.

Now’s a good time to get the jars ready, so you won’t be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars, since the water bath processing will sterilize them as well as the contents! If you don’t have a dishwasher, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used.

NOTE: If unsterilized jars are used, the product should be processed for 5 more minutes. However, since this additional processing can result in a poor set (runny jam), it’s better to sterilized the jars. Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic “lid lifter wand” to pull them out. Leave the jars in the dishwasher on “heated dry” until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot jam. Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids. I just leave them in there, with the heat on very low, until I need them.

Page 2 – How to Can Apricot Jam

About girlwthepink

Allison Almond has written 7 posts in this blog.

Single Mom, foodie, blogger, gardener of my small container garden, always looking toward homeopathic ways of living, looking at the silver lining and many times turning lemons into lemon aide.

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