Homemade Apricot Jam

I went berry picking over the weekend, hoping to make black raspberry jam, but I was about half a pound shy of what I needed (raspberry season isn't quite going full force yet). So apricot instead!

Apricots were on sale for 99 cents per pound at the grocery store. I would have preferred to buy them at a farmer's market, but I have no clue what time of year is apricot season. I really wanted to have some fun and make jam this weekend (partially as a reward for finishing my written comprehensive exams), so I picked up 4 pounds of apricots on the spur of the moment.

Pitting and chopping apricots.

Cooking apricots and pectin.

Adding sugar and boiling.

Filling the jars with jam.

Processing the jars in the water bath canner

The finished product. It turned out a bit runny, but that's fine. It's easier to spread that way anyhow!

My recipe only called for 3.5 pounds, but I feel like I'm always cutting it close when I fill the jars. That's why I got an extra half pound of fruit. However, somehow that extra half pound turned the 8 half-pint jar recipe into an 12 half-pint jar recipe! I had to run around at the last minute grabbing extra jars and lids out of the basement to make room for the excess. I guess I didn't need to worry about cutting it close this time! That said, I think apricot jam is my favorite jam of all (although there are plenty I've never tried) so I'm pleased to have gone a little overboard!