Cooking web notes

Printable Recipe

3 cups prepared fruit (I use 3 1/2 cups)
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 box dry pectin
1/4 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
7 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

Bring your boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. (I leave my jars in the canner until I need them.) Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.

Chop finely or crush peeled and pitted apricots. Measure exactly cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. sauce pot. Add crushed pineapple and lemon juice.

Stir pectin into prepared fruit in sauce pot. Add butter, if you'd like, to reduce foaming. (I don't.) Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 4 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.

Immediately ladle into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10-15 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Holly's Note:
I found the original recipe for this jam at Kraft. The original recipe called for 8 cups of sugar, but I use 7. I've seen variations that used less sugar and the pineapple is plenty sweet on its own. You basically want about 5 cups of fruit total. Most recipes tell you not to peel the apricots, but I prefer mine peeled. I dump the apricots into a pan of boiling water for about a minute. Remove and immediately immerse them in cold water. The skin slides off, just like with tomatoes.

I usually get about 10 half-pints (8 oz) jars of jam from this recipe.