Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Apricot Jam

 
We've had imported apricots for a while but as soon as the local ones are available, it's a good time to cook up some jam or freeze them for Platz in the winter. Apricots are easy to work with  since they need no peeling.
Ingredients for 3 batches:
  • 10 lbs ripe apricots (18 cups crushed)
  • 13 1/2 cups sugar 
  • 1 pkg Certo light pectin or 1 ½ pkgs regular pectin
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Method:
  1. Wash 24 (1 cup) or 12 (2 cup) jars and sterilize in 225° F oven for 10 minutes. Keep warm until needed. Heat rubber lids in boiling water and keep hot.
  2. Wash fruit. Remove small stems and pits as you quarter the fruit.
  3. Blend until just crushed. If the blender needs a bit of liquid to get going, add a small amount of water to first batch only, then leave a cup of blended fruit in the blender (to add to) for each consecutive blending batch. You should collect about 18 cups of blended fruit, yielding 3 batches.
  4. In a medium sized bowl or 4 cup measuring cup – measure 4 cups sugar. Set aside.
  5. In a large stainless steel pot, measure 6 cups crushed fruit and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Add 1 ½ Tbsp Certo light (or ½ pkg regular/generic pectin) mixed with 1/2 cup sugar. Place on high heat, or slightly less.
  6. Stirring the whole time (with wooden spoon) bring fruit to a hard boil – so that it still bubbles while stirring.
  7. Add the 4 cups sugar and continue stirring until it boils hard again. Listen for the soft sound of the boil to know when to set timer. Continue the rolling boil for 2 minutes, while stirring. If it splatters, turn down heat a tad. (An element with inconsistent heat will make it worse.) If it foams, add ½ tsp soft margarine.
  8. Remove from heat and continue to stir for a minute or two.
  9. Ladle into hot jars to ½ inch from the rim. (using a canning funnel, makes it safer and easier) Cover with hot lids and screw rings on. Repeat with next batches.
  10. After cooling - refrigerating or freezing the jam will keep it fresh tasting longer. Not necessary to seal jars if you freeze them.
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18 comments:

  1. Hi. Thankyou for sharing another of your delicious recipes with your avid readers. Please can you answer a query of mine? I see on alot of blogs 'bread for the journey' then absolutely nothing about bread ??? Please can you explain to a hopefully not too dumb English what this means / is about? Thanks and best wishes xxx Julie

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  2. The apricot jam looks delicious!

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  3. Good Morning... If I seal the jars, will they keep on the shelf or do they still have to be kept in the refrig ? Big Thanks for all your help !!

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  4. Anonymous,
    Not a dumb question. .. Bread for the Journey is a take off on what our Lord Jesus said when He said
    "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
    so, just as we need physical "bread" to live on (the recipes we post every day) .. we also need spiritual "bread" to strengthen us... which is God's Word, the Bible. So the Bread for the Joureny is a focus on Spiritul nourishment for our souls.

    Barbara,
    if you sealt he jars, you do not have to refrigerate them. However, keep them in as cool a place as possible.

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  5. I have been enjoying your jam on my toast with peanut butter in the mornings - my favorite!

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  6. Oh wie lecker!Ich liebe Aprikosen...humm.Danke für das Rezept.Schöne Mittwoch.Bussi.Lu.

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  7. how beautiful is the bounty of our Lord and your using your own energy to make your family happy! the PNB in Kristal's comment sounds like something I need to try!

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  8. Oh I love canning! And love using all the fruit of the season!

    Thank you for sharing!

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  9. Anneliese, I think many of us would appreciate it if you would open shop...then we could purchase the wonderful preserves.

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  10. Many thanks for the clear explanation Anneliese xxx Julie

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  11. I should have searched on here for this recipe before just going ahead with the Certo package instructions. you use WAY less sugar (and pectin, actually), which I would have liked. Next year for sure :)

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  12. Thank you ladies...not only for the great recipes, but for the sweet testimony. :)

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  13. Help please.....I tried this recipe yesterday but something has gone wrong and the jam did not set properly. Any suggestions that could save the batch?
    Thanks so much, K

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  14. Kristy,
    At this time it does not really matter what went wrong ... and it would be a hard guess ... type of pectin or not boiling hard or long enough are guesses. What I would suggest you do is measure off 6 cups of cooked jam again, stir in 2 Tbsp of pectin mixed with 1/4 cups sugar, bring ot a boil and then cook hard, stirring the whole time for another two minutes. You could try that. Put a small amount of jam in the fridge to cool and test once cooled.
    I feel bad. I wish I could see how runny it is. It does thicken once it's been refrigerated... but by now you would know. It is a jam that is a bit runny .. we like it that way... spreading it on with a spoon. I would double the amount of pectin next time if you like it very thick.

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  15. Kristy, another thought, you could use you jam like syrup for pancakes and waffles.

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  16. I made this jam this past summer and it is more like a sauce. I also made some using the entire package of Certo as opposed to 1 1/2 Tablespoons and I do prefer the more "set" consistency that a whole box of Certo gives. I enjoy your recipes....keep 'em coming!

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  17. Am I missing something? In the list of ingredients you list 13 1/2 cups of sugar but I don't see in the recipe where all of the sugar is added, or is the entire recipe made in small batches using 4 1/2 cups of sugar per batch? I love apricots and really want to try this but I want to be sure I'm doing it correctly. I love your website!

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  18. StoBlogger, yes... the top list of engredients is for three batches...
    one batch is 6 cups blended fruit and 4 1/2 cups sugar plus the certo or pectin. Judging from some of the previous readers, some like it not quite as runny as I like it, so if you like you jam set, increase the pectin somewhat and be sure to cook with a rolling boil for several minutes, all the while stirring.
    All the best!

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