Apricot jam is a delicious preserve that is great to accompany fresh bread, toast, crackers and even ice cream. Since it allows apricots to be preserved, it is a good way to preserve this typically summer fruit in winter. However, to prepare the jam it is also possible to use frozen fruit. Most jams require large quantities of sugar and lemon juice to thicken the fruit, as it is the mixture of sugar and acids that favors the extraction of pectin, a substance naturally present in fruit.
Ingrediants
Apricot jam
- 8 cups (1.5 kg) of diced apricots
- 60 ml of lemon juice
- 6 cups (1.35 kg) of sugar
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Prepare the Apricot Jam
Step 1. Prepare everything you need
You will need several ingredients and tools to make apricot jam. Prepare the ingredients, also get:
- Big pot;
- Cake thermometer;
- Wooden spoon;
- 5 x 450ml glass jars or 10 x 250ml glass jars with lids and gaskets;
- Ladle;
- Sterilizing pot for preserves and special basket;
- Tongs for preserving jars;
- Large pan;
- Oven gloves;
- Lint-free tea towel;
- Towel.
Step 2. Prepare the water
Place the basket at the bottom of the canning sterilizer. Fill it with enough water to cover the jars full of jam. Also calculate an additional 3-5 cm of water. Put the lid on, turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.
Once the jam has been cooked and poured into the jars, you will need to boil the jars in water to sterilize them and eliminate bacteria. This procedure allows the jam to last longer
Step 3. Clean and heat the jars
Wash the jars, lids, and seals in hot soapy water. The jars can also be put in the dishwasher, while the lids and gaskets must be washed by hand. Rinse all items and place them on a clean dish drainer.
- Preheat the oven to 65 ° C. Place the jars in the baking dish and put them in the oven. It is not necessary to sterilize them before filling them, but they must be heated to prevent them from splitting when pouring the boiling jam. Leave the jars in the oven until you have to pour the jam.
- Make sure you use new lids whenever you can. The lids are designed for one-time use and may not seal properly if reused.
Step 4. Wash, remove the stone and cut the fruit into cubes
Run cold water over the apricots and scrub them with your hands to remove dirt, stems and leaves. Blot it with a clean cloth. Here's how to remove the stone and cut them into cubes:
- Cut the apricots in half, paying attention to the core. Separate the halves and remove the core.
- Cut the apricots into cubes of about 1.5 cm.
- Since apricots have a rather thin skin, they should not be peeled for jam.
Step 5. Mix the ingredients
Put the apricots in the pot, then cover them with the sugar and lemon juice. Stir everything to mix the ingredients well.
- The acidity of lemon juice helps eliminate bacteria, preventing the jam from spoiling and protecting it from mold.
- Pour 1 tablespoon (or 6mm cube) of fresh grated ginger into the pot to spice up the jam.
- Do you want the jam to be less sugary? You can only use 4 cups (900g) of sugar for this recipe.
Step 6. Cook the fruit
Put the pot on the stove and cook the ingredients over medium-high heat. The sugar should dissolve and the mixture should come to a boil. The heat also favors the extraction of pectin from fruit thanks to the lemon acids. The pectin allows to give a gelatinous consistency to the jam.
Stir occasionally to prevent the fruit from sticking to the bottom of the pot
Step 7. Measure the temperature with a thermometer
Once the mixture has come to a boil and bubbles begin to form, insert the cake thermometer into the pot, making sure it does not touch the bottom.
- Once the mixture has come to a boil, stir it often to prevent it from burning.
- Once it reaches 105 ° C, turn off the heat and remove the pot. At this temperature the fruit water will have evaporated and the jam will have taken on a thick consistency.
Step 8. Remove the foam before decanting the jam
During cooking, foam will form on the surface of the jam. Remove this top layer with a spoon.
Once the foam has been eliminated, you can immediately pour the jam into the jars you have prepared
Part 2 of 2: Transfer the jam into the jars
Step 1. Remove the jars from the oven
Put on oven mitts to protect your hands from the heat and remove one at a time.
- You will need to fill and close one jar at a time. Leave the others in the oven to keep them warm in the meantime.
- While filling the jars, it is important to proceed as quickly as possible without burning yourself, as the jam must maintain a high temperature.
Step 2. Fill the jars
Fill one jar at a time with the jam using the ladle. Leave about 6 cm of space between the jam and the top of the jar.
- Take a lint-free tea towel or kitchen paper and moisten it with warm water. Use it to remove the jam that has fallen on the rim and grooves of the jar. This way you can make sure it is sealed well.
- Place a lid on the jar, then adjust the seal. Set it aside. Repeat until you finish the jam and fill all the jars.
Step 3. Heat the jars in the water
Once the jars have been filled and closed, insert them one at a time into the boiling water using the special tongs. Once you have placed all the jars vertically on the basket, put the lid back on the sterilizing pot and bring the water back to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, set the timer for 10 minutes. Since the jars were not sterilized prior to the procedure, you need to boil them for at least 10 minutes to make sure the jam is pasteurized and the containers disinfected.
- Find out about the sea level of the place where you are. Allow an extra minute of boiling for every 300m above sea level. For example, if you live 460m above sea level, boil the jars for 11 minutes.
Step 4. Remove the jars from the water
After boiling the jars, remove the pot from the heat and let them rest for 5 minutes. Remove the bowls from the pot using the tongs. Always keep them upright.
Lay the jars on a clean towel, spreading them at least 3 cm apart
Step 5. Let the jars cool
Allow the jars to cool on the towel for 12-24 hours. Then, check the seal of each container. Here's how to do it:
- Remove the seal from the jar. Press your finger on the lid and try to move it. If it doesn't yield, then it's sealed well. Put the seal back on, clean the jar and lid with the towel, then label it to know what's in it.
- If some of the lids have not sealed well, you can put them back in the water for another 10 minutes, or store them in the fridge to immediately consume the jam.
- The unopened homemade jam lasts for 1 or 2 years in the pantry. Once opened, it can be stored for another 6 to 12 months in the refrigerator.
Advice
- If you don't have a cake thermometer, you can determine if the jam is ready with a simple test. Before cooking the jam, place a couple of saucers in the freezer. When you think it's ready, pour a spoonful of jam on one of the saucers and place it in the freezer for 2 minutes. Run a finger in the center of the jam. If it stays in place and does not return to the center, then it is ready.
- Use good quality and firm fruit, but not overripe, as the latter is low in pectin.
