I bought a 20 pound case of Apricots on Tuesday.
Actually, at the store I weighed some apricots to get an idea of how many apricots make a pound, and when I got home I counted the apricots in the box and thought I might have grossly over-estimated that number (6). I set the bathroom scale on the table, and put the box of fruit on it, and, it may have been closer to a 17 pound box, even giving allowance for the weight of the box itself.
It doesn't matter. The apricots won't be any cheaper than they are this week, and I wanted to make apricot jam and syrup.
Last year I discovered "Bernardin: No Sugar Added Fruit Pectin Crystals".
Amazing!
I made some No Sugar Added Crabapple Jelly that is delightful.
Yesterday I got around to trying a batch each of Apricot jam and syrup.
I wasn't sure if the jam would set, but it did.
The jam is almost too tart, (perhaps because I added a tablespoon of lemon juice to cut down on the oxidation browning) but it will be nice this winter- and it looks much prettier than the E.D.Smith apricot spread I've been buying.
I think the syrup worked too. I reasoned that by doubling the amount of fruit used with one package of pectin, it should make a runny, syrupy jam. It seems to have done.
This morning I'm off to make one more batch of jam, but I think I'm going to make it Apricot-Mango. I have one nicely ripened mango on the counter, and I was just considering how that combination might work. After a bit of Internet research, I think I am confidant that Mangoes have enough natural pectin to not have an adverse affect on the gelling of the fruit spread.
Ooh- experimentation! This is exciting.
Maybe it's not so surprising that I have a daughter who likes Chemistry and Maths!
I LOVE jam-making!!!
ReplyDeleteI also tried the Bernardin no sugar thing this year, I made a batch of strawberry jam. I did use a small amount of sugar tho. Though it would be to tart. It turned out really nice! :)
I made a batch of chokecherry/ apple jelly that did not set. So I have a nice batch of syrop also. I don't know why it didn't work. I was'nt able to get my hands on crab apples so I used some spartan from the store. Shouldn't it have worked?
I was considering the apricot jam also, but I'm not sure I will have the time.
mmmmmmmm.....jam..........canning.
ReplyDeletei feel a bit strange among my peers, as there are only a couple of us that do any of this sort of thing......
Robin, if you are in the Saskatoon area, i have a TON of crabapples, you would be very welcome to come help yourself to a bunch of them. Email me back at the email addy here....
Thanks for the offer. Normally I would, but I am swearing off jam and jelly making for the rest of this year. Time to eat up what I over did last year! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks again, anyway! :)