When it comes to home canning, apricots are one of those fruits that usually leave me feeling a wee bit lost! After halving, then canning them in a sweet syrup, my creativity usually goes downhill. However, I’m not the type to give up! I attempted and failed several times, but finally, I finally created an apricot jam recipe that’s worth sharing!

It’s very simple, with only 3 ingredients. And the best part is? You can do the prep work (or at least most of it) in your crock pot!

 

Necessary Ingredients & Equipment

You’ll need

• 10-12 lbs of very ripe, golden apricots
• 1 1/2 C honey
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• a 7 quart crockpot
• 7 pint jars with lids and bands
• a waterbath canner

Simple, right?! You can substitute honey for sugar, if desired. We love using honey in our home canning, but sugar will thicken the jam faster.

 

An Apricot Jam Recipe

Before you get started, pick through your fruit. Choose the very ripest apricots for jam-making! Once collected, you can start removing pits.

This recipe requires 26-28 C of apricots. But you don’t actually have to measure them out! You have enough when the fruits are level with the rim of your 7 quart crock pot.

Once the crock is full, press the apricots with a potato masher. This will help release juices and speed the cooking process.

Stir in your honey and 1 tsp of freshly-grated nutmeg, then set the crock pot to high heat. Let the fruit and flavors simmer together for 2-3 hours, until apricot skins are tender and soft.

Once accomplished, the next step is to thicken your jam, without the addition of pectin! Do this by removing the lid from your crock. Leave the apricots cook for several more hours.

If you want a faster method (like I usually do), you can also transfer the jam to a pot, then simmer it on the stove top. Stir often!

 

Cooking It Down

When making pectin-free jams, there aren’t any hard or fast rules!

With these goodies, you have to test for thickness every so often. Do this by placing a small spoonful in a measuring cup. Pop it in your freezer and once it cools, test for thickness.

The longer you simmer pectin-free jam, the thicker it will be. Keep simmering and stirring, until you are happy with the consistency.

 

How to Process Apricot Jam

Once the jam is ready, it should be ladled into hot, pint-size jars. After adding lids and bands, the jars must be processed in a hot waterbath canner. The National Center for Home Food Preservation gives time recommendations for pectin-free jams here!

Because I’m 2,000 ft in altitude and didn’t use the addition of lemon juice, I processed mine for 20 minutes. And that’s really all there is to it!