Apricot Jam with Dried Cranberries

Apricot Jam with dried fruit is nothing special.  I dehydrate fruit through out the year. As you can see I got a few apricots off a neighbor tree this season. I lined them up on my table for a day or two to ripen them up just right. I never want them to over-ripen because then the jam is no good. You want your fruit firm but tasty. Never mushy, bruised or mealy.

This year I added some dried cranberries. The apricots are so fresh and sweet that bit of tart will add a great taste.




Ingredients

Makes about 7 half pints

8 cups of chopped apricots
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups of granulated sugar

Clean your fruit and then chop your apricots. I slice the apricot in half then quarter the half. I love my jams chunky. Have your cranberries measured out . When you cook the apricots it will break up so do not worry about skin . No you do not have to peel your apricots they will dissipate when cooked.






Cook your chopped apricots on medium heat until they begin to get to a thinner consistency. Add the lemon and cranberries. If the apricots are to thick just smush them to make them smaller. 










Once the apricots are cooked down to the right size and consistency for your jam it is time to get your sugar added.






With Apricot jam there is always just a little foam. This just goes with jam making at times. Nothing is wrong with you jam. Some people add a bit of butter. I have experimented with butter and with out. I choose to put less stuff in my jam's. So no butter for me. And I eat the foam on crackers after it cools. No there is nothing wrong with the foam just ugly!

The foam is just from the boiling jam coming up through the viscous jam. Here is a link to more information on Foam in my Jam

 



Now it is time to add your sugar have it measure out so it is easier to add. Add it slowly 1 cup at a time, while stirring and keep your jam at the rolling boil your not done with your work out yet.






Keep this boil going for yet another 5 minutes when you have made jam for a while you will know when it has reached it gel point. Sometimes it is hit and miss there are times I have done everything perfect to only come out with syrup. Get it to a temperature of  222/223 degrees with a candy thermometer. Never throw away any jam that is to thin you can re-do it or use it for Syrup! Think Ice Cream !

Ladle the jam into the jars leaving a 1/2 inch of head space. Wipe the rims. Cap and water bath process for 12 minutes.Once done remove and place on a towel cover counter. Let them rest for 24 hours. Once cooled remove the twist and clean the jars. Label and date then store in a cool dry area.

Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes. 

Apricot Bluberry Jam

You all know it is time for Fair and I am on a mission. Through out the years I have entered the Fair and done pretty darn good. Last year I won 16 ribbons. BUT this year I want a God Damn Best of Show.

Try as I might I can not bribe the judges make nice is the best I can do when dropping off my goods. Last year I made nice and happened to meet two wonderful women.



Well you know the Apricot story I always seem to find the best places to pick them. My last Mother Load made a batch of Apricot Butter and it was my first time making that . I thought it was a bit runny but sometimes when I let my jams sit they thicken up all by themselves.

Ingredients

2 quarts of uncooked chopped apricots no I do not peel my fruit but you can
2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup of lemon juice
5 cups of sugar




Preparation:



Combine your apricots, blueberries and lemon juice in your sauce pot. Bring slowly to a simmer. Now add your sugar and stir until you have dissolved all the sugar. Bring to a rapid boil.







 We do not add pectin to our jam's because we like to keep the jam as close to nature as possible. I have post on How to make your own Pectin and reasons why we do not use it. Once you have the rapid boil and the foamy stuff going on. Keep it at the boil until you get to your gel point. Without pectin it needs to get to about 223 degrees with a thermometer.

Now remove your jam mixture from the heat. Ladle into your clean, hot, sanitized jars leaving your 1/4" head space. Wipe the rim of the jars, Adjust your two piece cap and process in the water bath for 15 minutes.

Once removed let them cool overnight or all day for you night canner's. Take the twist top off once cooled and wipe the rims and store with out the twist. Also please do label and date the jam. Here is another Post on this great jam from Renee go looky see!

Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Center for Home Preservation for additional information and available classes.

Apricot Butter

Apricot Butter it is delicious like any type of fruit butter. Smooth in texture clean taste. It is different than regular jam in my humble opinion.

All butters are easy to make they just are a little more time consuming in the cooking process. Like a good soup they take a bit more time. So let us get started.

The ingredients could not be simpler. I took my recipe from the Ball Blue Book. The book calls out that it makes 3 pints I make my jams in half pints because it seem to be just enough to not get bored with the flavor and just enough to finish and move on to the next jar of jam.





Ingredients = 5 to 6 half pints

2 pounds of apricots (24 pieces of fruit)
3 cups of sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon








I do not peel my apricot but like most of my jams I keep as much of the fruit as possible.









The reason is two fold

• It is a pain in the ass to peel most fruit

• There are essential vitamin I want from those skins in my jams

• Natural Pectin is in a lot of those peel's

So I chop up my apricots and simmer then in a large pot with a half cup of water. Simmer them until they are soft.  I then run mine through a food mill.











This is a funny step because if you put it through the Food Mill then it does become a bit more liquefied. So keeping it on a more firm/thickish side is not an easy task.  I have found the longer I preserve food  the more I learn and I find ways to avoid runny jams. It really is a hit and miss with this skill. Time is our best teacher.

Moving on the you will need a cup and a half to two cups of apricot pulp.Now put your apricot pulp and sugar back into the pot and simmer until it thickens. This is a slow and you must be patient. As you mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of your pot. Add your lemon juice and ladle hot butter into you warm, sterilized jars.

Leave a 1/4" head space. Wipe down the rim of the jars and adjust and place you two piece caps.

Process them in a HOT Water bath for 10 minutes.

 Remove you jar.s and let them cool overnight.

Once cool remove the twist cap and wipe jars completely so they are squeaky clean and store in a cool spot. Do label them with the jam and date canned.

 Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Agricultural Extension Service for additional information and available classes.

Apricot Jam

 Apricot Jam is one of my hubby's favorite jam's. When it is the season we happen to live in what I think is the 2nd best place to be for apricots. The # 1 is Oregon. When I was up there I had apricot's the size of my head and sweet as the day is long.

I found a produce stand that had CA grown apricots that were super big and only needed a few day's to ripen yet still be firm enough to make a good Apricot Jam.   

Apricot Jam - About 7 half pint jars

8 cups of chopped apricots
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 box pectin or no pectin gel to 222 degrees

This is a simple jam.


Clean your fruit and cut off the spots/bruises and loosen the pit and discard. No fruit is perfect sometimes you have to work with what you have. Do not be to picky or you will have no fruit. Chop your apricots. I slice the apricot in half then quarter the half. I love my jams chunky. When you cook the apricots it will break up so do not worry about size. No you do not have to peel they will dissipate when cooked.

Cook your apricots on medium heat until they begin to make a thinner consistency. Add the lemon and smash the apricots to thin the chunks up.  Once the apricots are cooked down bring the apricots up to a rolling boil and add the pectin if using (Mix your pectin with equal parts sugar this helps it to blend in with your fruit) Bring this to a rolling boil for at least 3 to 5 minutes. No need to peel.

Do not leave your jam this is the time for your arm workout. Stir it while it is boiling if you are nervous turn it down a bit. I have found heat makes the jam thus why we do not use pectin.

There will be foam but that is good not to worry. The foam is just the from the boiling jam coming up through the viscous jam. Here is a link to more information on Foam in my Jam .

Now it is time to add your sugar have it measure out so it is easier to add. Add it slowly about 1 cup at a time, while stirring and keep you jam at the rolling boil your not done with your work out yet. Keep this boil going for yet another 10 minutes when you have made jam for a while you will know when it has reached it gel point. Sometimes it is hit and miss there are times I have done everything perfect to come out with syrup. If you did not use pectin please get it to a temperature of about 222 degrees with a candy thermometer.

Waste nothing anything jam is great on Vanilla Ice Cream.

Your jars should be ready this amount of jam fills 7 half pint jars or 4 pint jars. Ladle the jam into the jars leaving a 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe the rims. Cap and water bath process for 15 minutes. Always have extra jars you just never know nothing in canning or cooking is exact well for me it isn't. Water bath your jars for 10 minutes.


Do not store your jars with the twist on.

Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Agricultural Extension Service for additional information and available classes.