Apricot Jam Recipe: Just three ingredients.

If you are not familiar with the water bath canning method watch our water bath canning video workshop. Always make sure you are following all safety guidelines outlined by the USDA when canning anything.

Oh, this apricot jam is the easiest. It is the freshest and the finest and the orange sunshinest. Eat it with a spoon, or heat it with some brandy and a dash of maple syrup on the stove top for the world's best topping for vanilla ice cream. Seriously. Also delicious over goat cheese, with yogurt, and sure, why not, on buttered toast. Finding ways to use it will not be a problem.

Although apricots are naturally high in acid, they are low in pectin. However, they cook down to a lovely, thick consistency all on their own, without any added pectin. Expect the set to be soft, not stiff. This jam is one of the simplest jams to make, due to the small number of ingredients and the ease of the process.

It's OK to halve or divide this recipe by 3, if you have fewer apricots. But don't make it any larger, as the mixture would need to cook for too long a time, and possibly affect the set of the jam.

This recipe requires that the reader be familiar with the Water Bath Canning method and canning tools. If you are not familiar with canning or need a refresher, check out our Video Workshop on Waterbath Canning.

DIRECTIONS

Makes about 5 pints.

1) Macerate the fruit

Combine and stir the pitted, chopped apricots and sugar in a large bowl, and let stand for 8-12 hours at room temperature, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is combined with fruit for several hours before cooking, the fruit will shrink, as it loses some of it's water to the sugar solution. This will result in a firmer jam. If you skip this step, that's ok. Your jam will just be a little softer.

2) Cook your Jam

Pour the apricot/sugar mixture and lemon juice into a large, heavy-bottomed stainless steel pot or jam pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the mixture thickens. Stir frequently. Remove from heat and check to see if you jam has set after 40 minutes, or 30 minutes for smaller batches. Take a look at our article on How to Find the Perfect Jam Setting Time.

3) Pack your jars for canning

When the mixture has set to your satisfaction, skim off any foam before ladling it into hot 8 oz or 12 oz canning jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Screw on lids hand tight. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Over to You...

It’s part of our mission here at Mountain Feed to help you make delicious, sustainable, homemade food more often. Stop by and say hello on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. Or, as always, you can do it the old fashioned way and come by the store to speak with one of our in-house experts.

If you are not familiar with the water bath canning method watch our water bath canning video workshop. Always make sure you are following all safety guidelines outlined by the USDA when canning anything. 

This article is part of the July 2015 Issue of our Monthly Journal. Be the first to receive all our new recipes, articles and stories from the shop by signing up to receive the journal by email.

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