Make your own tinned (canned) apricot preserves!

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I have a few things I can't resist to buy.  1.  A good handbag   2.  Cute cupcake papers   3.  Gorgeous fruit in season.  I went farmgating on the weekend and saw these apricots and I bought everything they had.  I asked if they had more.. unfortunately not.  I had 1.5 kilos from the farm and then asked hubby whilst he was at the supermarket to pick me up another kilo.  There's no point preserving anything under 2 kilos in my opinion.

The apricots that came from the supermarkets were of course about 50% more expensive and about 50% smaller... I'm sure they don't taste as good either but I think preserving them in syrup, I'm bound to get the best of out of them.   My Laura ADORES apricots so was bitterly disappointed I only let her have one before I preserved the rest - but I did reason, she'll get to eat them all throughout the year this way...

Of course, I had Eloise help me who isn't a huge lover of apricots, at least I knew I wouldn't lose as many to 'spoilage' aka Laura's mouth...

If you haven't preserved before and want to give it a try now is a really good time to start.. there's lots of good things in season - apricots, peaches, mangoes, cherries, plums... you can can them like this or make sauces, jams - all kinds of stuff.  I liken it to making up presents for you to open and enjoy throughout the year   You can buy jams and tinned fruit but it's never as nice as when you make it yourself.  They also make brilliant gifts....

Makes 5 x litre jars

Ingredients

2.5 kilos apricots

1.2 kilos sugar

2-3 vanilla pods

5 x 1 litre preserving jars

Method:

Cut your apricots in half, reserve 25 seeds.

Sterilise your jars.  I put mine in the dishwasher with no powder on a pot wash, and then I let them air dry.  You can also boil them (but you need to submerge them so you'll need a very big pot or do it in batches) for about 5 minutes under furious boil then take them out carefully with tongs and put them into an over over 100 degrees until they dry.

Start off by adding your sugar to 2.5 litres of water.   Bring to a furious boil for 10 minutes or until it reduces by 20%.

Turn off and allow to cool whilst you prepare your jars and fruit..

Put your apricots in the jar, add 5 of your seeds in the middle of each jar.

Add half a vanilla pod that's been split to expose the beans.

Don't they look beautiful?

Then fill your jars up to the top with your syrup.  You need to make sure that the fruit is completely submerged.  Put the lid on tightly.  My tip for you is to buy a wide funnel, you can buy it at the same place I get my jars from here

It looks like you're finished... but you're not.  You need to process your fruit, which means killing all the bacteria that could be in your jars... place your jars into large pot and fill with water, bring to the boil for 20 minutes, turn off and leave to cool.  Do this twice over two days.. and then store in a cool dark place until you're ready to eat them.!

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