Apricot Jam - Mmmm Mmmm

My parents have a mid-sized apricot tree in their backyard which has been fruiting like mad this summer, probably thanks to all the rain Melbourne has been getting in the last few months.  The fruit are a nice size and super sweet to eat, but my dad has been finding that the wildlife are also very appreciative of his garden produce (the birds were apparently merrily pecking away at the apricots while my poor dad was trying to harvest and salvage his precious fruit).

My half eaten breakfast - apricot jam and cream cheese on a poppyseed bagel!

Since the tree bears more fruit than my parents can eat on their own, they have been giving away apricots to me and to various church friends who do not have their own trees.  We have all been enjoying fresh apricots for breakfast, lunch and dinner but the warm and humid weather we are currently experiencing has meant that the fruit are ripening too fast for us to keep up.  So, in order to keep enjoying these home grown apricots, I decided to try making apricot jam with those fruit which had gotten bruised or were overripe.  The recipe I used was shared with me by Apparently Jessy, who found the simple microwave recipe on AllFreeCrafts.com.

Please follow the All Free Crafts link to find their instructions for the jam, especially as they give some great suggestions for making jam with other fruit too.  But I also wanted to share my minor modifications of the recipe with you, because you should all know by now that I just can't leave a recipe alone, ha ha!

Ingredients

450g (minus the stones) diced or mashed apricots

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 Tb lemon or lime juice

Method

Put the chopped fruit into an 8 cup capacity microwaveable bowl or measuring jug.

Mix in the sugar and lemon juice and leave to sit for 30 minutes.

Microwave the fruit mixture on high for 10-14 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes.

If you do not have a container large enough for the ingredients, you can halve the recipe and use a smaller bowl for the cooking.

Pour or spoon your jam into sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool.  I would recommend keeping your jam in the refrigerator once it has cooled sufficiently.

Now all you have to do is enjoy your home made jam!!!