I love canning. There is a wonderful sense of purpose and accomplishment producinggreat tasting treats from a box of fruit. It also evokes great memories of learning to can from my mom and grandma. This evening it was all about apricots.
A few weeks ago I posted my first low-sugar jam recipes. Since my husband likes the low-sugar jams
much better than the regular I am reworking as many of my jam recipes as possible
and creating a few new ones.
This one brings back memories of my dad. Apricot Pineapple Jam was his favorite.
I think he would have liked my low-sugar version.
1-20 ounce can pineapple tidbits canned in juice, drain and reserve the juice
4 cups pureed halved and pitted apricots
1 cup reserved pineapple juice (add a little water if needed to make 1 cup)
4 1/2 Tablespoons Ball Real Fruit Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
3/4 cup sugar
Mix the pineapple, pureed apricots, juice and pectin in a large kettle.
Heat the mixture on high heat until it comes to a boil that cannot be stirred down.
Add the sugar, return to a boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat.
Fill jars, wipe lip of jar clean, and seal with lids and rings.
Place in a water bath canner making sure jars are cover with at least one inch of water.
Put lid on canner and bring water to a gentle boil. Process for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Use a jar lifter to carefully remove jars from canner, being sure to keep jars upright.
Set them on a towel on the counter to cool and listen for the “pop” to indicate the jars have sealed.
Recipe yields about 7 half-pint jars plus a small amount extra for sampling.
This was a new recipe that I tweaked. Can you imagine anything better on scones
with a cup of tea on a dreary fall day?
4 cups pureed halved and pitted apricots
2/3 cup Earl Grey Tea Syrup (see below)
3 Tablespoons Ball Real Fruit Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin
1/2 cup sugar
Mix the pureed apricots, tea syrup, and pectin in a large kettle.
Heat the mixture on high heat until it comes to a boil that cannot be stirred down.
Add the sugar, return to a boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat.
Fill jars, wipe lip of jar clean, and seal with lids and rings. Place in a water bath canner making sure jars are cover with at least one inch of water. Put lid on canner and bring water to a gentle boil. Process for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Use a jar lifter to carefully remove jars from canner, being sure to keep jars upright. Set them on a towel on the counter to cool and listen for the “pop” to indicate the jars have sealed.
Recipe yields about 4 half-pint jars plus a small amount extra for sampling.
Earl Grey Tea Syrup: Boil water, then pour 1 cup into a measuring cup. Add two Earl Grey tea bags and let it steep for about 30 minutes. You want the tea to be really strong. After it has steeped, pour tea into a small pan and add 1/2 cup sugar. Heat and stir until sugar is melted, then simmer for ten minutes.
(The leftover syrup can be used as a base for sweet tea later.)
My last two recipes aren’t low sugar but they will be a great addition to the pantry this winter.
This will make quick and wonderful desserts as pie, cheesecake topping, or crepe filling.
A lot of the work is already done!
7 cups pitted and quartered apricots
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Clear Jel
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 lemon juice
Blanch the quartered apricots in boiling water for one minute. Strain into a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Combine sugar, Clear Jel, and water stirring until smooth. Heat over medium-high until thickened. Gently fold in apricots, then stir in vanilla and lemon juice. Remove from heat.
Fill jars, wipe rim, place lid and ring in place to seal jar. Process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes.
Use a jar lifter to remove jars from canner and place on a cooling rack covered with a towel. Allow to sit undisturbed until completely cool before checking for seal.
This recipe made 5 pints of pie filling.
My hubby loves pancakes so he was really excited when I suggested making pancake syrup.
It is really simple.
4 cups of pitted and chopped apricots
1/4 cup lemon juice
Sugar
Place apricots and lemon juice in a kettle and cook until apricots are very soft.
Using an immersion blender, puree the apricots.
Measure the pureed apricots, return to pan, and add an equal amount of sugar. Stir until all the sugar is melted, then simmer until syrup thickens slightly.
Ladle syrup into jars, seal and water bath for 15 minutes.
This recipe made 3 pints of syrup and about a 1/2 pint for tomorrow morning’s pancakes.
In additions to the 5 jars of pie filling, 3 jars of syrup, 5 jars of Apricot Earl Grey jam, and 7 jars of Apricot Pineapple jam, I also got three dehydrator trays of apricot halves and a tray of apricot fruit leather.
All from a 22-pound box of apricots.
I love creating healthier recipes for my family and watching the canning shelves begin to fill with food
for fall and winter. I’ll be sharing more recipes as canning season continues.
Filling the pantry is all part of my heart for home.
