Perfection Apricot Jam
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 3:14PM (Please scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for "Printer-Friendly Version" link . If it isn't there just click on the green recipe title and scroll down again.)
I make a lot of different kinds of preserves, including some very unusual combinations. The one that wins me the most fans is really very basic, and probably the simplest one I make. Besides the endless requests I get for my Blue Ribbon Dill Pickles, the other thing I hear most often is from friends and family is: "You got any more of that apricot jam?"
I happen to prefer using a type of apricots called "Perfection" for this recipe, but there are many other types that work great, and maybe some that work even better. All I know is, when I use a mixture of ripe and slightly under-ripe Perfection Apricots (along with some sugar, fresh-squeezed lemon juice & lemon zest) I come up with a winning combination that some people say might just make me famous some day. So far I'm satisfied knowing I'm making quite a few people happy.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's amazing to me that with a bit of skill and plenty of heat, 3 common ingredients can be turned into something so lusciously delicious.
Makes ~4 half pints
- 2 pounds ripe and slightly under-ripe Apricots
- 1 fresh lemon, zested and juiced
- 4 cups white sugar
1.) Cut apricots in half. Remove the pit. Chop apricots into chunks. (Bigger if you like your jam chunky, smaller if you like it smoother.)
2.) Combine chopped apricots, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl, stir well to combine and cover. Let it sit on the counter at least one hour, but preferably 8 hours, or even overnight. The longer it sits, the more juices will be pulled from the fruit, forming a wonderful syrup in the bowl.
3.) After letting the apricot mixture sit the desired time, stir mixture together well, scraping any sugar that might have collected on the bottom of the bowl.
4.) Place apricot mixture in a heavy-bottomed non-reactive pan (don't use aluminum or cast iron). Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the fruit from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir the fruit gently while cooking to reduce foaming.
5.) After about 10 minutes the fruit should be softening and you can periodically mash the chunks with a potato masher if you want smaller pieces.
6.) Boil for 5-15 more minutes, stirring, until the jam either thickens to your liking or until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.
7.) Ladle jam into clean hot jars to within 1/4" of the top, wipe rims spotlessly clean and place a lid on top of jar. Next, screw a band onto the jar until it's "finger-tight".
8.) Process for 10 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath.
> If jars lid seals it will easily keep for one year in a cool, dark place. If jar doesn't seal, place it in your refrigerator and eat within 3 months, and within one month after opening.
Reader Comments (2)
Hi there, I just started following your blog recently and don't know why it took me so long to find you! You cover a lot of topics that I love, but not a lot of the other canning bloggers cover; like liqueurs and drinking vinegar!
Oh yes, my question... do you peel your apricots? I am planning on doing my first apricot jam and this one sounds great. Many of the other jam recipes say to peel the apricots. What is your preference?
Thanks!
Hi Alicia,
I've been out of town, and just getting around to answering my comments. First of all, thank you for the compliments; hearing what you have to say makes me want to cover even more topics!
As for peeling Apricots, I do not. Once the 'cots cook down, the skins become unnoticeable. At least, as far as I'm concerned they're unnoticeable.
Maybe some people peel them because they are worried about pesticides? Perhaps others peel them become the skins on some types can be slightly bitter? I think if you can eat an apricot and the skin doesn't have any disagreeable flavors, it will taste wonderful in jam or other recipes.
One thing I had heard...that Shiro Plums are not good canned because the skins are too tart. I didn't hear this until AFTER I had made jam with them, and sure enough, the first jar I opened a couple weeks later was really tart. Too tart. I was so disappointed because I had made A LOT of jars of the Shiro Plum Jam....my neighbors had a tree and I couldn't resist their offer of "you can have as much -- for free -- as many as you can pick". I sort of stuck those jars on a shelf up high and forgot about them. Almost a year later I decided I needed to get rid of the Shiro Plum Jam so I could re-use the jars, but I decided to taste some before I dumped it into the compost crock. Well you know what? It was wonderful. The tartness had completely subsided and what I had instead was about 2 dozen jars of thick, sweet, slightly floral golden plum jam. Sometimes those bitter skins mellow with age!
All of this being said, some people might notice the peels, even though they are quite soft once cooked. If you really don't like the idea of seeing little bits of peel, or you don't like any slight texture variance in your jam, you should blanch and peel them first.
Alternately you could leave the peels on, but run a hand-blender through the jam mixture is almost finished cooking. The hand-blender (immersion blender/stick blender) does a super-duper job of pureeing the jam mixture while it's still in the preserving pan.
Thank you for reading my blog Alicia.
Hope you enjoy your apricot jam; it seems to be the favorite of everyone around here!