Well preserved

The apricots I’d collected this week are not overripe and are still just a little bit hard, ideal for making jam. Having slightly more acidic fruit helps balance the sweetness of the jam, and aids setting.

It didn’t take long for Brian and me to cut 5kg of them in half. We then added about 4 bags of jam sugar and the juice of 2 lemons.

I was going for quite a soft set, so I didn’t simmer them for too long, about 20 minutes.

The result is some rather tasty apricot jam. Our guests this morning were first to try it on fresh, crusty, baguette. It went down very well. I love being able to serve homemade preserves for breakfast.