Serendipity – don’t you love it when exactly what you want or need presents itself? I called a friend recently and asked if I could make bread and butter pickles with her. She makes wonderful pickles. She readily agreed but said “You know this takes all day and you’ll have 8+ pints of pickles.” I started backpedaling. I really did not want to spend all day doing this, nor did I want to store so many jars. I had a vision of friends saying with a false grin (grim grin) “Bless your heart, another jar of pickles.”
A few days later, while wandering around a cooking store I espied a cookbook by Marisa McClellan, “preserving by the pint – Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces”. Hallelujah! I don’t buy many cookbooks anymore, but this one was just what I needed to figure out proportions for smaller batches of jams and vegetables. “Quick” is also right up my alley. Every recipe I’ve tried has been sensational.
Here is my take on one of Ms. McClellan’s jams: Apricot, Rosemary and Mint Jam. The jam is sweet and savory, with a bit of heat. Besides on breakfast toast, I use it this jam as a glaze on chicken, as a condiment with pork or lamb and on curry.
Making this only takes about 30 minutes. I often make a batch as I’m cooking dinner. Imagine finding a beautiful jar of apricot-flavored, spicy, savory, sweet, golden goodness in your pantry in January.
Note: When preserving, you don’t always have to have the perfect piece of fruit because it is cooked down and the flavors become more robust. So if an apricot is mealy but still smells good, use it.
Apricot, Rosemary and Mint Jam
Ingredients
2lbs apricots
2c sugar
3T rosemary, finely chopped
2T mint, finely chopped
3t red pepper flakes, or 3t jalapeno, chopped finely
1T fresh lemon juice
Utensils
A scale, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, and a potato ricer or some other way to mash the apricots; a 12 inch skillet; 4 one-pint preserving jars with lids; a stock pot.
Method
Prepare the canning jars and lids according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Pit the apricots and put them in a large bowl. Mash until pulpy – it is ok to have some small chunks. I use a potato ricer to do this.
Add the apricot, rosemary, mint, sugar, and pepper to the skillet and cook on medium high, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches a boil. Add the lemon juice.
Cook, stirring gently until the back of a spoon remains coated when you lift it out of the liquid. You can also check for doneness by drawing your spoon across the middle of the mixture. If the mixture does not immediately fill in the swath, it’s ready.
Carefully fill the jars to within ¼ inch of the rim. Screw on the lids and place the jars back in the pot that you used to sanitize them. Bring the water to a boil and cook the jars for 10 minutes. When you take the jars out, you should hear a pop sound. Again, follow the manufacturer’s directions. The jam keeps for 3 weeks in the refrigerator if you are not comfortable with preserving. This Apricot, Rosemary and Mint Jam has not lasted 3 weeks in my house yet.