Apricot Jam

From the Cindy Burke collection

Read Cindy Burke’s blog post on making jam.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Place apricots in a large pot with lemon juice, ¼ cup water, and sugar (or sugar and stevia). Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. To add a subtle almond flavoring, use a mallet (a whack with the bottom of a cast-iron skillet will also work) to crack open six apricot pits. Remove the “almonds” inside the pits and place them in a small tea strainer or cloth bag. Add them to the pot while the jam is simmering. The “almonds” should be removed from the jam before you place it in jars (the pits contain amygdalin, a compound that produces trace amounts of cyanide).
3. When the jam has simmered for 90 minutes, test it by placing a spoonful of hot jam on a plate and placing it in the refrigerator for 3 minutes. The consistency should be similar to ketchup — soft, but not liquid. If the consistency is not right, simmer for another 30 minutes and retest.
4. Place the jam in sterilized jars. You can refrigerate the unopened jars indefinitely. I often can the jams using a water-bath method. When canned properly, jam can be stored in a cool place for a year or more.

This content is from the Cindy Burke collection.