Apricot Butter

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Apricot Butter

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Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Tue Jul 16, 19 4:12 pm Post subject: Apricot Butter
Got some local apricots and today I made apricot butter with lemon and lavender. Could have used a better proportion of lavender sugar / plain sugar but there you are, I used what I had. What I scraped out of the preserving kettle as the jars were processed in their boiling water bath tasted quite nice. Summer in a jar. Will be worth the sweat when I spread some on toast this winter.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jul 17, 19 1:05 pm Post subject:
Sounds good, how much sugar to fruit?

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Wed Jul 17, 19 4:35 pm Post subject:

8 cups very coarsely chopped pitted apricots
zest from one large lemon
juice from one large lemon
one cup lavender sugar

Place in pot, bring to boil. Turn heat down to high simmer (bubbles around edge) and cook until apricots very tender, stirring frequently.

Puree through coarse plate on food mill. Yield: 6 cups of puree

Turn into preserving kettle. Measure out 3 1/2 cups white sugar. Mix 1/4 cup of measured sugar with Sure-jell low sugar pectin and stir into apricot mixture.

Bring to rolling boil and stir in remaining sugar. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

Turn into sterilized jars, clean rim and threads, cap with 2-piece lid & ring. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield: six 8-ounce jars, two 4-ounce jars

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 2:06 pm Post subject:
So 2:1 fruit to sugar? How long does it last once you open the jar?

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2571
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 8:09 pm Post subject:

Refrigerate once opened, Tahir, then it lasts until eaten all up. Several weeks, maybe a couple of months? Depends on how many different jars are open at the same time and what I'm doing with the preserves. Spread on toast, use as a jelly roll filling, make into a glaze for a pork roast or grilled chicken, or . . .

I do think the processing of boiling hot preserves into sterilized jars that are then sealed and processed for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath is part of the preservation.

I have seen recipes for preserves that have equal parts fruit:sugar or even more sugar than fruit. They may last longer - which would surely happen in my house because I would not eat them, too sweet for my preference.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 10:52 pm Post subject:

that sounds delicious however the mention of lavender sugar was perfect timing.

as i have a new one in the big pot lavender spot at the mo there will be some for the bees and a tiny bit for me this year, lavender sugar seems ideal.

we had a glut of apricots in the local shop last week, i ate as many as i could but i now know what to do with the next opportunity

thanks

i really like em but in a global supply chain rarely find any nice ones, if they are ripe they don't travel well and if they come off the tree unripe they travel but they are unripe.

the last really good ones i had were grown in sight of where i bought them

cooking with semi decent "shop " ones seems plausible,

for less than ripe ones i either ignore em or do as below
a sparse pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar per ten cut fruit stir to distribute wait a bit, add a tablespoon of amaretto ( almond essence and sugar water might work ) . lime juice optional unless they are very hard
stir or shake every now and again until less than ripe fruit are al dente to taste.
the amaretto version keeps several days in a fridge "raw "
the minimalist salt sugar marinade thing seems to bring out the flavours with quite a few fruit
unripe or perfect and just got better either is a decent result from a simple sprinkle

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