A friend of mine at work had an excess of apricots from her tree at home and passed them onto me. They were incredibly ripe and delicious and I realised straight away they wouldn’t last long so decided I would have my first attempt at making jam. Not just any jam, apricot, which is my favourite.
I typed ‘apricot jam’ into Google and found this very easy recipe on www.cuisine.com.au a great Australian recipe site and got straight into it. It was all very easy and the end result was incredibly rewarding and worthwhile, the jam was delicious! It didn’t last long here, so I am looking forward to the next bag of fruit and my next attempt.
The recipe is below, but please note, I didn’t add the apricot kernels.
1.2kg ripe apricots
570g sugar
4 apricot kernels, chopped
Juice of a lemon
Wash apricots well and pat dry. Pit them (keep the kernels) and dice flesh into 1cm cubes. Mix diced apricots with sugar in a large pot and let stand for at least an hour or preferably overnight in refrigerator. Add chopped kernels. Bring mixture to boil, stirring so it doesn't catch. It will rise in the pot with large bubbles. Skim off any scum that forms on top. Lower heat to a vigorous simmer until bubbles get smaller. Test for thickness by placing a few drops on a small cold plate (from refrigerator). When ready, remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and place in preserving jars following the maker's instructions.
Makes about a litre.
Sathya-rating *****
