Apricot honey sweetened jam

Making jam has been a summer activity in my life since I was a child. Mom always made it...strawberry,  strawberry-rhubarb (my fave), BlackBerry, raspberry mmmmmmmm. Usually jam involves fruit and a ridiculous amount of white sugar.  Something I am trying to cut back on or avoid altogether.  Having an autoimmune disease,  it is better for me to stay away from processed sugar to help my body heal itself and stay out of flare.
There is just something about tasting jam on a dreary winter day that lifts your heart. Almost fresh, sweet tart fruit spread bringing a little summer to the soul.
Today I have an abundance of apricots so I am making apricot jam. I will sweeten it a little with raw honey and use "pamonas pectin" to gel it. This brand of pectin requires no sugar to set up! You could make jam without any sweetener at all if desired. 

Select your fruit, you want ripe but not squishy fruit. Too ripe and it might not gel, not ripe and it won't cook down properly and be a little too tart.
Wash, peel, pit and chop fruit. I prefer to freeze apricots whole and then cut. The peel comes off a lot easier and frozen fruit is so easy to cut. No slimy sticky mess that way!

You have to cook down the fruit. Meaning plop diced apricots into a saucepan,  cover and boil until soft and mashed to your liking. I use an old potato masher while the fruit is cooking.

Follow the recipe below to make your own jam. Any fruit will work! I made apricot and apricot-pineapple today. 

See you next time-joy

Honey apricot jam

Makes 1 pint

4 cups chopped apricot

1/2 cup raw honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 tsp calcium water

3 tsp Pomona 's pectin

 Add fruit, lemon juice and calcium water (included in pectin package) to medium saucepan.  Bring to boil on high heat, covered and boil until fruit is soft. Using a masher or wooden spoon,  mash fruit to desired consistency. When fruit mixture comes to a rolling boil, (boils hard with bubbles throughout that dont stop when you stir) In a separate bowl,  mix together honey and pectin powder, set aside. After fruit comes to a rolling boil, stir in honey and pectin mixture.  Continue stirring until jam comes back to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and spoon into canning jars. Wipe rims of jars

Top with 2 piece lids and process in a boiler  canner for 10 minutes. Cool on countertop and share!