Blackberry Apricot Jam

Last week I wanted to preserve every piece of fruit I could find, probably because I am desperately clinging to summer, trying to make it last forever. I know the long New England winter is on its way, and maybe a little summer in a jar will help get us through it. First I made honey-preserved plums with some pretty yellow plums from the Medford Farmers Market. Then I tried a variation of this gorgeous Blackberry Apricot Jam from Food in Jars (the force behind my favorite canning cookbook).

This weekend we ate our way through the one odd jar that wasn't quite full. We swirled heaping spoonfuls into steel coat oats. My husband made biscuits that we spread generously with butter and jam. Then we stirred some into plain greek yogurt. It's sweet, a little tangy, and the hint of cinnamon gives it a little taste of fall so that the change of the seasons doesn't feel quite so scary. 

Finally, if you're new to jam and canning, dive right in! It's not nearly as intimidating as you might think! If you're looking for a kit to help you get started, I like this one.

Makes ~2.5 pints

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup blackberries (two 6-oz containers)

3 1/2 cup apricot puree (one 1.25 lb container + a pint basket)

2 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 - 1/2 orange, zested and juiced

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tb classic pectin (or 1 pouch of liquid pectin)

Directions

First, prepare to sterilize your jars in a large stock pot. Fill the pot with water, and place a metal steamer basket (or canning rack) in the bottom to keep the jars completely surrounded by water. Submerge the jars, cover the pot, and let it come to a boil while you prepare your jam. When ready to fill the jars, simply remove them from the boiling water with tongs, and place on a clean dry towel.

While the water is coming to a boil, prepare the fruit.  Coarsely mash blackberries in a bowl. I used a muddler, but you could also use a potato masher or a fork. Halve and pit the apricots, and puree in a blender or food processor.

Heat a non-reactive pan (enameled cast iron dutch oven, stainless steel) over medium-high heat.  Add mashed blackberries, apricot puree, and sugar, and let the mixture come up to a boil stirring frequently, scraping the bottom of the pan periodically to avoid burning.

Add the cinnamon, orange zest, and orange juice. Once the mixture starts to thicken, stir in the pectin, and let the jam boil for about 5 minutes, continuing to scrape the bottom periodically to avoid burning.
(Note: I used classic pectin which is said to set more firmly than liquid pectin).

Remove the jars from the boiling water onto a clean dry towel. Meanwhile bring about an inch of water in a small saucepan to a very gentle simmer (not a boil), and drop in the lids for a few minutes to soften the sealing compound while you fill your jars.

Fill your jars with the jam (I use a ladle and a canning funnel). Wipe the mouths of the jars clean with a damp cloth or paper towel. Remove the lids from the simmering water and place over the mouths of the jars. Then screw on the rings to hold the lids in place.

Submerge the jars in the boiling water and process for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the clean dry towel.

Once the jars are cool, remove the rings and check to ensure that the lids sealed properly. If sealed, stash the jam in your pantry, saving it for some cold winter's day when you need a taste of summer fruit. If any jars don't seal, merely refrigerate them, and use them within the next couple of weeks.

(Note: This recipe makes enough for 2.5 pint jars. I still processed my half-full jar but stored it in the fridge and opened it this weekend to use immediately, as it will not keep as well since half the jar contains some air)

Canning: Apple Butter

After having friends stay with us all last week and then giving visiting family a whirlwind tour of Boston on Saturday, I just wanted to stay home, stay in my pajamas all day, and putter around in the kitchen by the time Sunday rolled around.  

I have a standing offer from a friend in LA to do a canning swap: a jar of her canned peaches for a batch of apple butter, so I bit the bullet and finally tried my hand at canning using the last of our hand-picked apples.  And do you know what I found out? Canning, though a little time consuming, really isn't very hard. It was a lot of fun, and it left me feeling quite accomplished, like a good little Suzy Homemaker.

I used two blogs (The Kitchenette and Food in Jars) to come up with a recipe and to guide me in the canning process. Another fantastic resource I found was the Serious Eats Beginner's Guide to Canning. 

I used the following ingredients:

4 lbs apples (McIntosh and Macoun), cored and sliced

1 1/3 cups light brown sugar

2 tsp honey

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 lemon, juiced

First, I put the apples in a dutch oven, poured in enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan, and cooked over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the apples were soft and breaking apart.

Once the apples were softened, I pureed them with an immersion blender (a food mill or food processor would work too). Then I added sugar, spices, honey, and the lemon juice for a bit of acidity.

Once everything was stirred in, I cooked the apple butter over low heat for about 3 hours.

Toward the end of the cooking time I sterilized my jars by placing them in a large stock pot, covered them with water, placed the lid on the pot, and brought it to a boil. I put a steamer basket in the bottom to keep the jars from sitting on the bottom of the pot. To soften the sealing compound on the lids, I brought water in a saucepan to a very gentle simmer (not a boil) and dropped in the lids for a few minutes.

Once the jars were sterilized and the lids are ready, I used salad tongs (I don't have the proper canning tools) to lift the jars out of the water. I ladled apple butter into the jars, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of headroom, and then wiped the mouth of each jar with a clean towel to remove any stray apple butter. Using salad tongs again, I removed the lids from the saucepan and placed them on the jars. I then screwed the rings on to hold the lids in place.

I placed the filled jars back in the stock pot (after removing some water) and brought the water back to a boil. I let them boil for about 15 minutes and then removed them to a clean towel.

A few minutes into the cooling process, I heard little pings as the lids sealed shut. I let them cool for the rest of the evening until they were room temperature. At this point, I removed the rings and tried picking the jars up by the lid, using my fingertips, to see if the lid stayed on. It worked! Like magic, the jars had sealed, so I screwed the rings back on and found the jars a little spot in my pantry.

Ta da! Finished jars of apple butter!

Now, if you don't feel like doing the all-out canning process, you can still make and enjoy apple butter.  Just ladle it into a clean jar. Once it cools, store it in the fridge, and it should be good for a few weeks.