If you love apricot jam and want to make it a little extra special, here’s a recipe for whole apricot jam.
The recipe is an old one, just as grandmothers used to make it in the old days when everyone seemed to have more time on hand. Most old recipes have undergone changes due to a more hectic daily routine. It’s easier and quicker to halve the apricots and remove the pits, but the jam will be sweeter if made from whole fruit. In addition, the fruit will be tastier because the pulp stays inside and doesn’t mix with the syrup.
Another advantage of this jam is that you can also use the whole apricots to decorate desserts. Below we give you the list of ingredients and the steps to follow to make this apricot jam yourself.
Ingredients for apricot jam
Two steps are required to prepare this jam recipe, so the ingredient list is also divided in two parts. You need ingredients for preparing the fruit and some other ingredients for making the jam.
To prepare the fruit:
- 3 liters of water
- 3 tablespoons baking soda.
To make the jam:
- 2 kg whole apricots
- 1500 g sugar
- 200 ml water
- The juice of one lemon
Preparation
Compared to other fruit jam recipes, whole apricot jam requires 2 steps: a fruit preparation step and the actual preparation step.
How to prepare apricots for jam
Take a large pot or pot and add 3 liters of cold water. Add the three tablespoons of baking soda to the water. Stir thoroughly with a spatula until the baking soda is diluted and the solution is homogenized.
Wash the apricots well and add them to the water with baking soda. Stir to cover completely with water. It is ideal to use ripe apricots for this jam. Leave the apricots in the water with baking soda for at least 3 hours. Baking soda has the property of giving firmness to the fruit even during boiling.
Once time is up, drain the apricots well and rinse with cold water.
Leave the apricots in a sieve to drain. Use a skewer to push the stones out of the inside of the apricots. Hold an apricot tightly in your hand and push the stone out with the skewer from the side where the stalk was caught. Once you have removed all the pits, you can make the apricot jam.
How to make whole apricot jam
Put the sugar in a double boiler. Add water and place the pot on the stove. Let the syrup simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the apricots and simmer in the syrup over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Don’t forget to skim off the foam that forms on the surface, as with any fruit jam recipe.
Towards the end of the cooking, add the lemon juice. Once the jam is cooked, put it in sterilized jars and seal them with the lids provided. Cover the jars with towels or blankets and leave them to cool slowly to ensure that whole apricot jam can be preserved. You will enjoy the delicious taste and appearance of apricot jam throughout the winter.