It's Jam Season again!
My "fruit salad" tree has a branch that gives apricots, a branch that gives plums and another branch that gives nectarines. It used to also have a 4th and 5th branch that gave two different types of peaches, but I screwed up according to all my knowledgeable gardening friends. Apparently, I was suppose to prune the more aggressive branches so they wouldn't overtake the others. But the tree was just a wee tiny "baby" back then and I just couldn't bring myself cut any of the limbs. Well, I guess I learned my lesson... Now I only have 3 fruits instead of 5.
Last year, I posted recipes and techniques for making and canning low sugar, no added pectin plum jams. Please refer to that post for safe canning techniques.
Now in this post are my favorite apricot jam recipes. All low sugar, no pectin.
BASIC LOW SUGAR APRICOT JAM
Yields a nice apricot flavored jam that is still sweet despite the lower amounts of sugar compared to traditional apricot jams. It's terrific on bread, toasted muffins, or stirred into plain yogurt or oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 6 c chopped apricots*, pits removed, skin stays on (about 3 lbs)
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 4 T)
- 1 c plus 2 T sugar
* pH 4.05 for apricots, so lemon juice is more for flavor rather than safety
Procedures:
1. Combine chopped apricots with the sugar in a stainless steel pot.
2. Simmer mixture under medium low heat for about 30 minutes with stirring, until apricots are soft and no longer chunky.
3. Add the lemon juice, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Taste (careful! It's Hot!) with a CLEAN spoon and adjust sugar to your taste. I like my jams less sweet, but everyone’s preference is different, so adjust to your taste. (Total cooking time is about 45 minutes.)
4. Ladle jam into 4 sterilized hot half-pint jars (maybe 5 jars, so have another one ready just in case, but I had enough for just 4 jars), leaving ½ inch head space. Clean rim of jars with a damp paper towel, place lid, screw on band to finger tightness.
5. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Let jars sit 5 min, then remove from water bath to cool at room temperature for 12 hrs. Check seal. If seal is not tight, put in fridge and eat within 3 weeks. If seal is tight, store in a cool dark place for up to a year.
APRICOT JAM WITH LIME, GINGER, AND RUM (LOW SUGAR)
Yields a nice apricot flavored jam with a hint of ginger spice. Perfect with cheese and crackers, and a handful of nuts! This combination is inspired from this website.
Ingredients:
- 4 c chopped apricots*, pits removed, skin stays on (about 2 lbs)
- 1-1/2 t grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 t ground dried ginger powder)
- half a lime, juiced (about 2 T)
- 1/4 t lime zest
- 3/4 c sugar
- 1 T rum
* pH 4.05 for apricots, so lime juice is more for flavor rather than safety
Procedures:
1. Combine chopped apricots with the sugar in a stainless steel pot. Add ginger.
2. Simmer mixture under medium low heat for about 30 minutes with stirring.
3. Add the lime juice, lime zest and cook for another 10 minutes. Taste with a CLEAN spoon and adjust sugar to your taste. I like my jams more tart, but everyone’s preference is different, so adjust to your taste. If the sweetness is to your liking, now add the Rum and stir to mix. Turn off the heat. (Total cooking time is about 40 minutes.)
4. Ladle jam into 3 sterilized hot half-pint jars (maybe 4 jars, so have another one ready just in case, but I had enough for just 3 jars, plus a tiny bit extra for the "chefs" to taste), leaving ½ inch head space. Clean rim of jars with a damp paper towel, place lid, screw on band to finger tightness.
5. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Let jars sit 5 min, then remove from water bath to cool at room temperature for 12 hrs. Check seal. If seal is not tight, put in fridge and eat within 3 weeks. If seal is tight, store in a cool dark place for up to a year.
APRICOT PLUM JAM (LOW SUGAR)
Yields a similar profile flavor as those fancy apriums and pluots (cross between an apricot and plum) at the farmers markets! The color is also a beautiful blood orange!
Ingredients:
- 4 c chopped apricots*, pits removed, skin stays on (about 2 lbs)
- 2 c^ chopped plums*, pits removed, skin stays on (about 1 lb)
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 4 T)
- 1 1/2 c sugar
* pH 4.05 for apricots, and pH 2.8 to 4.3 for plums, so lemon juice is more for flavor rather than safety
^ can use anywhere from 1 c to 2 c depending on how much plum flavor you want to incorporate
Procedures:
1. Combine chopped apricots and plums with the sugar in a stainless steel pot.
2. Simmer mixture under medium low heat for about 30 minutes with stirring, until fruits are soft and no longer chunky.
3. Add the lemon juice, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Taste (careful! It's Hot!) with a CLEAN spoon and adjust sugar to your taste. I like my jams less sweet, but everyone’s preference is different, so adjust to your taste. (Total cooking time is about 45 minutes.)
4. Ladle jam into 5 sterilized hot half-pint jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Clean rim of jars with a damp paper towel, place lid, screw on band to finger tightness.
5. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Let jars sit 5 min, then remove from water bath to cool at room temperature for 12 hrs. Check seal. If seal is not tight, put in fridge and eat within 3 weeks. If seal is tight, store in a cool dark place for up to a year.