Lou McLeod: Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam – Low Sugar, No Artificial Anything

The following blog post Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam – Low Sugar, No Artificial Anything was originally published on http://ift.tt/1nr27gs

Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam is lightly sweetened with honey and flavored with a hint of cinnamon and citrus so you can taste the fruit, not the sugar.

Apricot jam is a great way to use up any apricots with bumps, bruises or bird pecks. Our gardening zone is right on the edge of where it’s “safe” to grow apricots, so our crop often gets nipped by a late frost. When we get a harvest, I don’t want any of them to go to waste!

I sweetened this jam with local honey that I buy in bulk, but you could also use granulated cane sugar. (See note below.) I used Pomona’s Pectin for thickening, but you could substitute another low sugar pectin and adjust the recipe accordingly. I found out the first time I made this jam that our apricots have a plethora of small, wiry hairs around the pit that become more pronounced in jam, so now I use the food strainer to process our apricots into a puree instead of chopping and mashing them. This may be an issue only with northern hardy varieties – I’m not sure. Use your judgment to decide how you’d like the texture of your jam.

To make apricot puree – pit apricots, place in heavy bottomed stock pot.

Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam is lightly sweetened with honey and flavored with a hint of cinnamon and citrus so you can taste the fruit, not the sugar.

Cover and cook gently until tender. Process through a food strainer or food mill.

Low Sugar Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam

Ingredients:

4 cups of chopped/mashed apricots or apricot puree
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons calcium water (included with Pomona’s Pectin)
1 cup honey or 2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder

Directions:

Sterilize six 8-ounce jars, keep hot. Heat lids and rings in hot water, keep warm but not boiling. Fill water bath canner and bring to boil.

In a small bowl, mix together honey and pectin powder. Don’t skip this step, or your pectin will clump. Set aside.

In a large, non-reactive pot (I use a heavy bottom stainless steel pot), combine apricots, lemon juice, cinnamon and the calcium water. Bring to a full boil.

Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam is lightly sweetened with honey and flavored with a hint of cinnamon and citrus so you can taste the fruit, not the sugar.

Add honey-pectin mixture, stir vigorously 1-2 minutes while cooking to dissolve pectin. Return to boil and remove from heat.

Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam is lightly sweetened with honey and flavored with a hint of cinnamon and citrus so you can taste the fruit, not the sugar.

Ladle jam into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims clean and screw on the lids. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Jam will last about three weeks once opened. Makes around 5-6 cups. Recipe may be doubled.

If you don’t have apricots available, you could also use peaches or plums. All go well with cinnamon and a bit of lemon. If you need a good bread recipe to pair up with your apricot jam, check out “13 Homemade Bread Recipes – Never Buy Bread Again“.

I really like making jams and jellies with Pomona’s Pectin, as most conventional jam and jelly recipes call for as much or more sugar than fruit. The low sugar jams and jellies taste like fruit instead of sugar. Pomona’s Pectin also came out with a new recipe book recently, which I have not tried yet, but it looks interesting. It’s called, “Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin: The Revolutionary Low-Sugar, High-Flavor Method for Crafting and Canning Jams, Jellies, Conserves, and More“.

A Note About Sugar

Using granulated sugar will change the flavor. I do check and make sure the label says, “cane sugar”, as most granulated sugar in the U.S. is now made from genetically modified (RoundUp Ready) sugar beets. Buy in bulk and watch for sales. Sugar will keep indefinitely in an airtight container. It is a good food preservative because it ties up free water in the product, preventing bacteria from breeding. It also helps preserve color and texture, keeping fruit bright and firm. In a pinch, sugar and honey can also be used for the care of open wounds.

You may also enjoy:

Low Sugar Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam 2016-07-29 23:19:07

Yields 5 Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam is lightly sweetened with honey and flavored with a hint of cinnamon and citrus so you can taste the fruit, not the sugar. Write a review Save Recipe Print 275 calories 72 g 0 g 1 g 2 g 0 g 216 g 8 g 68 g 0 g 0 g Nutrition Facts Serving Size 216g Yields 5 Amount Per Serving Calories 275 Calories from Fat 5 % Daily Value * Total Fat 1g 1% Saturated Fat 0g 0% Trans Fat 0g Polyunsaturated Fat 0g Monounsaturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 8mg 0% Total Carbohydrates 72g 24% Dietary Fiber 3g 13% Sugars 68g Protein 2g Vitamin A51%Vitamin C28% Calcium3%Iron5% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Does this look wrong? Ingredients

4 cups of chopped/mashed apricots or apricot puree
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons calcium water (included with Pomona’s Pectin)
1 cup honey or 2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder

Instructions

Sterilize six 8-ounce jars, keep hot. Heat lids and rings in hot water, keep warm but not boiling. Fill water bath canner and bring to boil.
In a small bowl, mix together honey and pectin powder. Don’t skip this step, or your pectin will clump. Set aside.
In a large, non-reactive pot, combine apricots, lemon juice, cinnamon and the calcium water. Bring to a full boil.
Add honey-pectin mixture, stir vigorously 1-2 minutes while cooking to dissolve pectin. Return to boil and remove from heat.
Ladle jam into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims clean and screw on the lids. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Jam will last about three weeks once opened. Makes around 5-6 cups. Recipe may be doubled.

By Laurie Neverman beta calories 275 fat 1g protein 2g carbs 72g more Common Sense Homesteading http://ift.tt/1zQyHsW Honey-Cinnamon Apricot Jam is lightly sweetened with honey and flavored with a hint of cinnamon and citrus so you can taste the fruit, not the sugar.