REAL apricot jam
Wednesday, 11 January 2012 00:00
Mrs M’s granddad was of the opinion that commercially-produced apricot jam (you know, that smooth stuff you get in the tin from the local supermarket) contained more pumpkin than apricots. Consequently he would only ever eat the homemade variety. Now if you happen to live on a fruit farm (which he did), one can assume that the required fresh fruit is more easily available.
I love whole fruit apricot jam (I have no idea whether or not the pumpkin in apricot jam is apocryphal!), but it is exceedingly difficult to get hold of, so I tend to not eat it very often. Stalemate.
A golden opportunity presented itself in December last year, when my “Egg Lady”, Jean Veasey, offered me some fresh apricots, when I called for my weekly supply of free-range eggs.
Along with the small flock of happy egg-laying chickens, Jean and husband Alan run on their farm in Matjiesfontein, they also grow a good deal of fruit, and the apricot trees were laden. I ordered four kilograms immediately, determined to try my hand at making whole fruit apricot jam.
The fruit grew to five kilograms with the gift of kilo of sweeter riper fruit, which also found its way into the jam pot.
We scoured our recipe books for a recipe, and consulted with friends before we settled on something we believed would work. Convinced that we’d need pectin to set the jam, I went on the hunt, eventually finding a 100g packet at a pharmacy \[orielle.berry\]in Somerset West Main Roadfor the horrific price of R64! That makes it R640 a kg.
As it turns out, we didn’t use any, because apricots are naturally high in pectin, and we included a generous handful of kernels in the cooking process, which is where a good deal of the pectin is concentrated. Adding apricot kernels also imparts a delicious nuttiness to the jam.\[orielle.berry\]according the dear friend Penny Sandham, and she's right. (Thanks, Pen!)
It's actually remarkably simple to make, as long as you observe one golden rule: don’t rush it! You need to heat the sugar slowly to melt it without causing it to crystallise. If it does crystallise, you may as well toss the whole lot.
Ingredients, selection and preparation
- 2kg fresh apricots: work in no larger than 2kg batches for best results, so if you have more fruit, you’ll need to use multiple saucepans or do it in relays.
- Give the fruit a good wipe with a damp cloth to remove as much fluff as possible.
- De-stone the apricots by halving them with a sharp knife. Cut out any damaged or pulpy bits and discard.
- Crack sufficient stones to give you a handful of kernels which you add to the fruit.
- 2kg white sugar: with high acid fruit like apricots, the ratio of sugar to fruit is 1:1.
- 1 cup water: the water is added to help melt the sugar. It should evaporate during the cooking process, which is a good thing, otherwise your jam may be too runny.
Method
Place the halved stoned apricots in a medium saucepan and pour over the sugar.
Add the water and mix gently but well.
Heat the mixture up over a low heat until the sugar has melted completely, stirring regularly. Be warned this could take up to an hour, at which point your cooking time is up to another 90 minutes, depending upon the firmness of the fruit and how well it thickens.
It is the cooking process that releases the natural pectin, so the longer you cook the jam the more pectin will be released. The downside is that the jam becomes progressively darker, and the fruit eventually disintegrates completely. You want to strike a balance, where you have good fruit colour, an acceptable consistency, and discernible fruit. The firmer your apricots, the longer you will have to cook them for, so keep a close eye on these three variables.
During the actual cooking process, skim the jam periodically to remove the foam that rises to the surface, and give the mixture a gentle stir to prevent it catching.
You’ll know that the jam consistency is right when you spoon a small quantity onto a cold plate, allow it to cool then draw a finger through it. If the jam holds and doesn’t slide back to the centre too quickly, the consistency is right.
Sterilise sufficient bottles for the quantity you make by washing them thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse them and place in the oven at 100 deg C for 10 minutes.
Sterilise the lids in boiling water.
Using a small sterilised jug, fill each jar to the top, and screw on a lid.
You’ve probably noticed I’ve said nothing about the apricot kernels, because I left them in. Perhaps a trifle lazy, but at least people will know it's homemade. Just tell people to avoid the kernels. Enjoy on freshly baked scones, or on hot crunchy toast. Yum!
Once you’ve opened a bottle, it is not necessary to refrigerate it, as the sugar acts as a preservative.
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Yield: a Lot!
Written by Norman McFarlane You are reading REAL apricot jam articles
