Summer is the season for fruits and berries, which means it's time to make jam. We don't make jam in large quantities, but we make 2-4 jars from different berries. Last year's stock is running out. All that's left is raspberry and blackcurrant jam.
As soon as the honeysuckle ripened, I made jam from our very first Siberian berry. I also made two jars of strawberry jam.
We're almost out of strawberries this year; they all froze. And what was left wasn't the best quality. We'll have to buy some at the market to freeze for my grandson.
We went to the market on the weekend, but the strawberries were already gone, so we decided to buy apricots.
Once upon a time, we had apricots growing in our garden in Alma-Ata. They were small, with pink sides and sweet pits inside, and making jam from them was a very common thing.
I always remember my childhood, how my grandmother and mother would make jam in aluminum bowls right in the yard. Yellow-striped wasps would circle the jam bowl, and we children would wait for the foam to rise. In Kazakhstan, everyone called apricots "urik," and apricot jam, especially with sweet pits, was the most delicious treat.
In winter, no cake was needed. You'd spread a crust of white bread with delicious butter and top it with apricot jam, or spread one cookie with butter, top it with jam, and top it with another cookie. Delicious!
So, at the market, I saw just such an apricot, not too large, with a pink side, and I wanted to make jam like I did when I was a kid. Our apricots don't bear fruit here; they grow, but to no avail—there are very few fruits.
Preparation
As soon as I got home from the market, I immediately started on the apricots. I rinsed them thoroughly in warm water, let the slices dry, and removed the pits.
The recipe is very simple. I weighed the apricots and covered them with the same amount of sugar (1:1) - a layer of apricots, a layer of sugar.
Once the apricots had released their juice, I stirred them gently and placed them on the stove. Bring them to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Then carefully skimmed off any foam. Turned off the heat and let the jam simmer until it cooled completely.
I remembered about the pits, but they turned out bitter, so I added a handful of almonds to the jam; that's what I had. You can soak almonds in water to remove the skins, but I added them skins included.
I carefully stirred the jam and turned on the stove, brought it to a boil again, reduced the heat and simmered for another 5 minutes.
That's it, the jam is ready! It's delicious and aromatic, with whole apricot slices, thick amber syrup, and almond kernels.
I got five jars of jam.
Now it needs to be rolled up with sterile lids.