And oh boy did life give me apricots! My father in law was over by the Palisade/Grand Junction area and brought me back a TON of apricots. Yay for free fruit! They were all very ripe and needed used soon. In fact, much to my chickens' delight, some were already too mushy.
So yesterday I made apricot jam. I always make my jams and jellies because I am absolutely against High Fructose Corn Syrup and many brands have it. I also just generally feel better about knowing what's in them because I put it there! Plus, they're just so much yummier.
I personally avoid sugar because I just feel better without it. I also limit it in my cooking/baking. I've played around with using less sugar in jam and jelly recipes and found Sure-Jell For Less or No Sugar works awesome for this. To me the fruit itself is sweet, and seriously, some recipes call for 7 cups of sugar?!
My apricot jam:
4 or 5 cups apricots with pits taken out and cut in half
1 cup sugar
1 pkg sure-jell for less or no sugar
That's it...and it's pretty yummy. My measurements aren't exact because I eyeballed the apricots. Once I had the apricots cooked down I just followed the instructions on the sure-jell package for adding it and the sugar. Put it in hot jars and water bath can. You may have to add more sugar for your tastes, but this is good for us.
I also have made jams without any sure-jell with strawberries, etc. Just cook the heck out of the fruit on low and add some sugar. It's fun to experiment.
I just love the 'ping' noise when the lids seal! Don't you?
What's your favorite jam?
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