It’s apricot season and Apricot Jam is one of my favourites and I’m sure it’ll be yours too. I’m going to show you how quick and easy it is to make jam!
Apricot jam is delicious as is, but I added a dash of rum to give it a little added zing, however, you can omit this ingredient if you prefer it without. Apricot Jam is utilized in many recipes like the famous Austrian Sacher Torte, in strudels, in jam donuts as well as in croissant’s. So you’ll find it very versatile in the kitchen pantry, not to mention on your morning toast.
Finally after 15 years our dear little apricot tree decided to produce a ton of lovely sweet apricots. In the previous years, I don’t know the reason why, but the few apricots it did produce were always quite tart and not really sweet enough to be used in making jams or compotes.
However, it sure made up for it this year and I found myself with all this lovely fruit straight from our backyard!
I have to be honest, I’ve never really made jam before, I had visions of cooking over a hot stove for hours in the sweltering summer heat! BUT NOT ANYMORE!
I was chatting on the phone with my Aunt the other day and she was telling me about the different jams she made with all the fresh summer fruit on hand.
So I asked her how she made them and low and behold it doesn’t take long at all!
Sure you still need to wash and cut up the fruit, sterilize the bottling jars (I prefer to boil them in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the jars in the oven preset at 130°C/266°F for 30 minutes) but once the fruit starts to boil it takes 5 minutes to cook! Yes literally 5 minutes!
Plus the great thing about making your own jam is that YOU DECIDE the ingredients and flavours including how much sweetener you want to use.
For me this is the greatest key element when I’m cooking.
In fact, as I mentioned, I added a dash of rum in mine. I also made some apricot compote with ginger, another one with apricot and all spice.
Plus remember that buying fruit that’s in season means you’re saving money and it’s at its nutritional peak and if you’re lucky enough to have fruit bearing trees you don’t want to waste any of that nutritious fresh fruit, I mean there’s just so much you can eat, right. In addition it’s great to bottle some of this summer fruit for the coming winter months when the fruit is no longer in season.
As sweetener I used fructose and in one batch I used pure brown cane sugar which my husband said was delicious and I can’t say he’s biased because he’s not a big fan of apricot jam! He must be the only one!
So that’s saying something!
APRICOTS HAVE MANY HEALTH BENEFITS TOO.
Here are 5 health benefits that can be attributed to eating apricots:
- RICH IN FIBRE so they may assist in constipation
- BONE HEALTH, apricots have many of the minerals associated with aiding healthy bone development, such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, copper and manganese
- HEALTHY HEART, apricots are high in vitamin C, potassium and as mentioned above, dietary fibre which all assist in promoting good cardiovascular health
- ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES – apricots contain anti-inflammatory properties which may help reduce inflammation in the body
- HEALTHY SKIN – apricots not only have antioxidants which protects the skin from the effects of free radicals, which we now know can lead to signs of premature aging, but they also have a good amount of vitamin A which is known for aiding healthy skin. Apricot oil is great for skin care and it’s quickly absorbed and is known for improving skin conditions such as eczema
HOWEVER, BE AWARE WHEN BUYING DRIED APRICOTS. Read the labels carefully if you’re sensitive to sulfites as some may contain this additive.
If you love eating dried apricots or any other dried fruit for that matter, the best thing you could do is invest in a food dehydrator. That way you can dry fruit or even vegetables like tomatoes yourself and you’ll be sure of the quality.
I actually bought one a few years ago to prepare dried tomatoes and blueberries and I must say I’m very happy I did.
It’s a great accessory to have in the kitchen especially if you grow your own vegetables and fruit and there are many to choose from and one to suit all budgets. You can buy one for as little as $34.00.
If you find yourself with a ton of fruit and you’ve already made your jams and preserves then drying fruit is just another option.
So here’s my Apricot Jam recipe.
I'm going to show you how quick and easy it is to make Apricot Jam. It's an all time favourite jam and used in many recipes such as the famous Austrian Sacher Torte, in strudels, donuts and croissants and of course let's not forget on your toast in the morning! Sterilise the jars: I prefer to boil them in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place the jars in the oven preset at 130°C/266°F for 30 minutes. Wash to apricots. Cut the fruit into small pieces and place them in a large saucepan, preferable a tall saucepan. Add the pectin and sugar and mix well. Place the fruit mixture onto heat and bring it to the boil, keep stirring and allow to boil for at least 3-5 minutes (or as per your pectin instructions). Take the saucepan off the stove and keep stirring until all the frothy foam has disappeared. Pour into hot sterilized jars. Close the lids and place the jars upside down for about 5 minutes. This will help the lids to pop to ensure they are vacuumed. Once jam jar is opened, keep the leftover jam in the refrigerator. The Fruit you use when making jams should be ripe and in good condition
Dosages: The quantity of the fruit is intended as net weight meaning already prepared to be cooked i.e. washed, seedless and if required, skinless.
This recipe is for 1 kg/2.2 lbs and all the ingredients can be doubled for 2kgs/4.4 lbs of fruit however, it’s recommended not to exceed 2kgs of fruit per cooking time. This allows for easy evaporation of the fruits water content aiding the jellification process. Also remember that if you double the ingredients then the cooking time should be doubled too.
Cooking Accessories: I mentioned using a tall saucepan. This is so that the high edges protect you from any splashes and aids in avoiding any overflow during the cooking process. When the fruit starts to boil the frothy foam tends to rise.
Apricot Jam
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
