Classic Apricot Jam Recipes

CLASSIC APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Measure your apricots; to every cup of apricots, add 3/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Stand, covered, for 12 hours at room temperature
• Stir mixture in a heavy, non-reactive pan over medium high to avoid sticking to bottom of pot; boil until thick (5 minutes), continuing to stir
• Ladle hot jam into in hot sterilized glasses; seal
• Process as you would for any preserved jam, or freeze

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Sterilize your canning jars by boiling for 10 minutes in a hot water canner.
• You will need 5 pint jars or 10 half-pints.
• Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot.
• Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
• Once mixture reaches a rolling boil, continue to boil it for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking.
• Remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 head space.
• Wipe rims clean and put the 2-piece metal canning lids in place.
• Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

NO PECTIN APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Clean your lids and jars, and place lids and jars, upside down, in a 200F oven.
• In a 3-4 qt soup pot, mix all of the ingredients. Heat over medium, stirring often, until the mixture begins to bubble and foam. (For us, this was about 20 minutes.)
• Place the candy thermometer in the mixture and turn the heat to high. Continue to heat the mixture, stirring constantly. (At this point, you may want to put on an oven mitt. As the jam thickens it will begin to foam, sputter and spit. This is good; it means things are getting jammy. But, it's not too good if you get hit.)
• Once the mixture reaches 220-222F, remove the jam from the heat. (For us, it took 8-10 minutes to reach the jamming temperature.)
• Using oven mitts, remove the hot jars from the oven. Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars, filling to ¼" of the top. ( ¼" is roughly the width of then nail on your little finger.) Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp towel to remove any sticky spillage. Top the jar with a hot lid and band. Tighten the band as tight as you can. Repeat until all the jam has been jarred.
• Process your jars using your preferred method. *
• Whichever method you use to process your jam, remove the bands after the jam has cooled. Check the seal on your lids and refrigerate any jars that have not sealed. Wipe the jars down one last time to remove any sticky bits before placing the bands back on the jars and storing the jam.

DRIED APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Soak apricots in boiling water in a bowl until hydrated, about 30 minutes. Blend apricots, remaining water, and vanilla extract in a food processor, working in batches, until blended but still slightly chunky.
• Combine apricot mixture with pectin in a large pot over medium heat; cook until just boiling. Add sugar and lemon juice; boil until sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the apricot jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4-inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool, about 1 hour. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Toss the apricots, sugar, lemon zest and juice and vanilla in a large saucepan to combine, then mash slightly to release some of the apricot juice. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the apricots to macerate and the sugar to dissolve. Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer to chill; this will be used to test the doneness of the jam.
• Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. (See Cook's Note for suggested add-in.) Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium, stirring frequently. Continue to cook until the jam becomes thick and syrupy, about 35 minutes. To test doneness, place a small amount of the jam onto the chilled plate and freeze for 2 minutes. Drag your finger or a spoon through the jam. If it holds its shape and thickness, the jam is done; remove from the heat. If it's runny, continue to cook and test again in 5-minute increments. Once the jam has reached the right consistency, transfer to jars and cool completely before storing, tightly covered. The jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

CLASSIC PINEAPPLE-APRICOT GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• For the ham: Remove the ham from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Trim off any skin from the ham. Use a sharp paring knife to score through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat. Insert the cloves into the ham, placing them at the intersections of the cuts (you may have some cloves left over).
• Put the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1/4 inch water into the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 130 degrees F, about 2 hours and 30 minutes (about 15 minutes per pound).
• Meanwhile make the glaze: Squeeze the lime juice into a small saucepan. Add the ginger and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain, then stir in the lime zest, apricot preserves and Dijon.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Pour half the pineapple glaze over the ham and brush to coat. If the water in the bottom of the pan has evaporated, add more. Return the ham to the oven and roast, basting every 10 minutes with the remaining glaze, until glossy and well browned, about 45 minutes more.
• Let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving. Carve the ham into slices and serve.

HOMEMADE FRESH APRICOT JAM WITH PECTIN

Steps:

• Wash the apricots in cold water. Pit but do not peel. Then chop the apricots into small pieces.
• Mash the apricots in a large bowl to help release some of the juice and measure. You should have 2-3/4 cups of mashed apricots. Press the lemon and measure the lemon juice. There should be 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Add the lemon juice to the apricots in the bowl.
• Combine the mashed apricots and powdered fruit pectin in a 3-quart saucepan.
• Stir and cook over medium heat until the apricots begin to bubble. You do not have to bring the mixture to a hard boil.
• Stir in the 3 cups sugar.
• Increase to medium-high heat and stir until it reaches a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and skim foam from top of jam.
• Pour into hot, sterilized, half-pint canning jars, and seal.
• Process the apricot jam for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Then remove the jars from the pot and place on a dry towel to cool. Finally, gently shake the jars after two hours to prevent all of the pieces of fruit from floating to the top. The directions in the package caution that this jam may take up to two weeks to set. My experience has been that it may take up to two days to set, but rarely longer.

APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Mix apricots and lemon juice in a large pot; add sugar. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook and stir until apricot mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary.
• Meanwhile, prepare jars, lids, and rings by cleaning and sterilizing in dishwasher or boiling water bath. Leave lids in simmering water until ready to seal jars.
• Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space on top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.