Apricot jam with slices

Usually, jams are made from various berries and fruits, regardless of their appearance. After all, jam can include even slightly crushed or spoiled berries on one side. Nothing to worry about, just remove the unsuitable fruits and use the rest for jam. This rule does not apply in all cases. If you want to make jam with sliced apricots, you need to select firm, undamaged fruits. You need to catch the moment when apricots are ripe but not overripe. There is one more detail in choosing the fruits. Only apricot varieties that easily split into two halves will be suitable for us. It is very simple: when buying apricots at the market, just break one fruit and check how it splits into halves.

Actually, I am against cooking jams with added water. In my opinion, fruits should be cooked in their own juice. But! If you want to make apricot jam with slices from tender apricots, you will have to make syrup. For the syrup, pour all the sugar into a bowl and add a cup of water (you can use less water). Put the bowl on the heat and heat until all the sugar dissolves. Don't forget to stir the syrup. Once the syrup is ready and boiling, let it simmer for a few minutes.

The apricots should be thoroughly washed and divided into halves. Place the apricot halves in a container and pour them with hot syrup. Set the bowl aside to cool completely. Don't worry if the syrup doesn't fully cover the apricots, gently move the bowl from side to side to ensure that the syrup coats all the fruits.

Once the apricots have cooled with the syrup, we need to drain the syrup back into the bowl. Hold the fruits carefully while draining the syrup. As you can see, the syrup has acquired a slight apricot color, but it looks cloudy, don't be discouraged, that's how it should be. Place the bowl with the syrup back on the heat, boil for a couple of minutes, and pour it over the apricot halves. Let them cool.

In this way, we have poured the apricots with syrup twice, now it's time to cook the jam. I know that many recommend putting cooled apricots on the heat and boiling them until they reach the desired consistency, and then immediately seal the jam. I do it a little longer, possibly a bit more hassle, but the result is incredible: slice by slice. So, I put the cooled apricots on low heat, bring it to a boil, and simmer for just 5 minutes. Make sure the boiling is very gentle. During the boiling process, the jam needs to be stirred, but it must be done with extreme caution. Our task is not to crush the apricots. You can simply move the bowl from side to side, or slightly submerge the apricots in the syrup with a spoon. After cooking, I set aside the bowl, and after a few hours, repeat the procedure: bring it to a boil again and simmer for a few more minutes. I usually cook it about 4 times, but it is necessary to observe the jam itself, if the fruits have become transparent and the syrup has thickened, then such jam is ready to be put into jars.

Pour the finished jam into sterilized jars and seal them with boiled lids. It is very convenient to seal the jam in jars with screw-on lids. The apricots in the jam will remain whole, soft, and elastic at the same time. This sweet treat looks like a gift from the sun. It even lifts the mood. I highly recommend this apricot jam not only with tea but also with cold ice cream, as apricots give both sweetness and a tangy flavor. It will be very delicious!

Approximately 600 ml of jam is obtained from 1 kg of apricots. I'll tell you a secret - my husband is thrilled with this apricot jam, he says it's even tastier than strawberry. And my mother admitted that the jars look terribly beautiful.