The Best Apricot Jam Ever

It's that time of year, when my thoughts turn to preserving and since Apricots are the first of the summer fruits to show themselves I thought I'd share with you my recent jam session. Now, I only claim that my jam is the best for my particular taste. But if you like a jam that tastes like the fruit from which it was made and is a bit tart and not super sweet, you'll like this. I adapted this recipe from one my Mother gave me, so here goes:

8 c (heaping) crushed ripe apricots
4 c granulated sugar (I always use cane sugar so as not to be subjected to Monsanto's GMO Beet Sugar) I use organic cane sugar if I have it on hand
1/4 c fresh lemon juice

Mix the fruit and the sugar in a large, deep pot. It must be a stainless steel heavy-bottomed pot so as to prevent discoloration and burning. Start the heat at medium and stir until the sugar dissolves. At this point turn the heat to high and keep stirring. Here's where you must watch to prevent burning. Boil the mixture for about 15 min then add the lemon juice. Continue boiling and stirring until thicken to your liking.

 This year I did something different. I have a very productive Passion Fruit vine and decided to add the Passion Fruit juice to half of the jam instead of the lemon juice. As you can see Passion Fruit have seeds, so you must strain out the seeds of course. I added this to the Apricots and continued as usual.

Fill in sterilized jars as per the instructions in your canning book (Ball Blue Book of Preserving is indispensable) and process in a hot water bath for 15 min.

Because I use half the sugar called for in most recipes, this jam won't last forever in the fridge once opened, but it won't last long once opened anyway, it's so good. As far as yields, you can double or triple this recipe. You'll just need more than one pot. I had two going at once and yes, canning makes a mess! 20 pounds of fruit made a little more than 24 half pints of jam.
Preserving will take up a full day, so plan ahead. It's worth every bit of time you spend.
Strawberry jam-Done
Apricot jam-Done
Next comes the Plum jam and Plum Chutney..
Happy canning and remember to fill your garden (and your kitchen) with joy! Lisa