I'd thought blueberry would be it on the jam making front for me this year. But when I got back to Papakura and went to the Clevedon Farmer's Market on Sunday there were growers visiting from Central Otago selling apricots. Apricots from Central Otago are the creme de la creme available here in New Zealand. They looked beautiful, and since John's favorite jam is apricot I couldn't resist.
They were quite hard, which meant I was able to leave them to ripen during the week and make jam in the Homestead kitchen at Struan Farm on the weekend. I only had 2 kg of fruit, while my recipe calls for 2.75 kg, so I simply did the math.
2.75 kg apricots, halved and stoned
10-12 apricot kernels
2 1/2 cups water
12 cups sugar
I had to use a nutcracker (and ask for John's help) to extract the kernels from the stones, they must contribute pectin:
Put apricots, kernels and water in a jam pan and cook on low heat until soft and pulpy. Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Boil briskly for 30 minutes or until set point (my set point was after about 15 minutes, so it's best to test with the plate in the freezer method I explain in previous posts).
Remove the kernels before pouring into sterilized jars and sealing (explained in previous posts).
I hadn't made apricot jam before, but it is SERIOUSLY GOOD in addition to looking great in the jars.
Comments