Anyone else been spending some time canning this year? I was able to get my hands on some free apricots this past week. So I made some cooked apricot jam (my husband’s favorite) and with the left over apricots I bottled some.
I had never bottled apricots before but they were pretty easy. They can be bottled using the same process for bottling peaches which I posted about last year here.
Here is the step by step process: (Read through all directions before starting).
You can use a heavy, medium or light syrup. I used a light syrup. Because apricots are a fruit, they are naturally high in acid and can be canned in a hot water bath.
1. To make a light syrup you will need: (makes enough for about 9 pints)
5 ¾ cup water
1 ½ cups sugar
2. Put syrup on stove top to boil while you blanch and peel the apricots.
3. While the syrup is coming to a boil, dip fruit into boiling water bath for about 30 seconds or long enough to loosen the skins. Immediately remove and then dip the fruit into a cold water bath.
4. Then remove the apricot skins. The skins should slip off easily. Cut the fruit in half, remove the stone or pit and sprinkle a little lemon juice over it (or fruit fresh) to keep it from discoloring. Because lemon juice has a very high acidic count, you needn’t worry about adverse affects to the final product.
5. Place the prepared apricots face-down into your hot and sterilized jars. (I run mine through the dishwasher so that they are hot and sterilized when I begin to can. Fill the jars 3/4 full of apricots. Now take your boiling hot light syrup and fill the jar to the top leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Run the handle of a butter knife around the jar and apricots to loosen any air bubbles. Wipe of the rim of the jar so that the lids seal properly. Add a new canning lid and screw on a jar ring.
6. Then place your bottles of apricots into a hot water bath. Be sure that the tops of the bottles are covered by 1-2 inches of water. Process your apricots according to your altitude. When finished processing, remove bottles carefully from the hot water bath and set onto a towel to cool on your counter top!
Altitudes and Processing Time:
1,000 feet – 20 minutes
1,001 to 3,000 feet – 25 minutes
3,001 to 6,000 feet – 30 minutes
6,001 and higher – 35 minutes
I love coming into the kitchen and seeing how pretty these bottles look. I have been known to leave them out for a couple of days just to admire my handiwork :)!
Can’t wait for winter to pull these babies out and eat them. Anyone have any yummy recipes I could use these apricots in??
What produce are you planning on canning (or have canned) at your house?
★Amy
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Morgan says
These look awesome! Thank you for the recipe! I am about to enter the world of canning
how gorgeous!!! I did my first lone hot water bath canning today! I did Seasoned Tomato Sauce & am excited about reading about other things to try!! thanks for sharing!!
I started canning last year. I love it!! So far I have canned cinnamon pickles and pickled okra. I would love to try canning fruit or hot ketchup. Thanks for the recipes!
I tried my hand at canning some tomatoes for the first time this year, so much fun!!! Your apricots are to die for, so pretty!
Being from the south, I'm a Paula Deen stalker. Here is a yummy tart recipe I found a while back. http://www.smithfield.com/recipes/recipe/apricot-tart But no, I don't can. I was raised by grandparents who canned all summer long, evert summer, but me… never, not once. What a waste.
Those jars of apricots are absolutely beautiful! I want to start canning. I have been freezing things so far…but I think I am ready to convert!
I love admiring freshly canned fruit and veggies too! They look so yummy! I got a bunch of jars for free off of Craigslist and am still waiting to use them.
They are absolutely beautiful! I've got some weird stuff growing this year, for a change: spaghetti squash, lemon balm, eggplant and heirloom runner beans. They're going nuts! Now, the trick is to get the family to eat them.
My Mom used to can every summer and this post brought back so many memories!
My Mom used to can a TON! And I haven't thought about canned apricots for years! They are delightful. I only can peaches. (and REFUSE to eat anything else)
When my little sister was a baby, my mom would put canned apricots, pears, and peaches in a blender and make her a yummy blended baby food. We all liked it so much….that everyone ate it. It was kind of a yummy cold summer soup. DELISH!
I've done pineapple, blueberries and chicken lately. I dried and made leather out of apricots because I don't like them canned. If you end up not liking canned apricots, you could make fruit leather. So yummy!
These apricots look incredible! How about grilling a pork tenderloin, and using some of the apricots and syrup? Maybe add some cumin and S&P, heat the apricots and glaze with spices, and add some of the liquid as a glaze while cooking the roast. Then you can serve the hot apricots over the roasted pork. :) Wow, the photos have my mouth watering!
what a beautiful orange captured in those pics! i love it!
I've been making apricot fruit leather….so delish!
I love doing apricots becuase they are so easy. However…I don't use a simple syrup. I just use straight water because it cuts down on the sugar. I also don't skin the apricots. I just split them, pit them, rinse them, and drop them in the jar. Much easier!
How beautiful I so wanna learn more about canning.
supper yummy apricot nectar;
1 bottle of apricots (juice and all)
ice cubes (as much as you like, more=thicker)
water (as much as you like more=thinner)
2 TB of Tang powder drink
put everything in blender, yummy and refreshing! We also add other fruits that we have on hand and it has turned out great.