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This year I wanted to do something with apricots. Preferably make jam, as I love apricot jam. First of all we had to source some apricots from somewhere. Our fruit trees are currently not at the fruit producing stage, or if they are they keep getting hammered by the grass grub beetle right at the wrong time of year and decide that energy is better spent just staying alive than trying to bear us any fruit.

But all was not lost! As I used to work in the orchard industry some years back now during my school and uni times I meekly and politely asked them for some apricots. Well, to be honest I asked my mother to ask them for me. (Thanks Mummy!) And much obliging they were too, donating some good ole Central Otago apricots (and a few yummy Dawson’s cherries thrown in as a yummy bonus). In fact it was a pretty big box of apricots, so huge thanks Kathy and Bill!

Stage I: Cook the fruit a bit until soft. Easy enough. No dramas there. Bubble, bubble, bubble…

Stage II: Add the warmed sugar. Warmed sugar? How the hell do you do that?! Ah. Thanks Google!
[Visual record of this stage not recommended if you actually want to eat any of the jam!]

Stage III: bubble, bubble, bubble until the “setting point” is reached. Hmm. OK. I think we managed that, but only time will tell, I guess.

Stage IV: Bottle it up, and stack in the cupboard.

So from 2kg of fruit and and [an undisclosed amount] of sugar we managed to get nine jars of jam of various sizes. I suspect that’ll get us through a year. Unless it’s just so yummy that we have it on porridge, scones, chicken breasts as well as the usual toast.

Now we just have to think of something to do with the rest (about half a box full). I am thinking some yummy spicy apricot sauce.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 20th, 2013 at 6:45 pm and is filed under Food and Drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.