Apricot-Curry Jam

Another trip to the farmers' market this Sunday morning inspired me to make some more jam. This time with apricots. I wanted to change it up, so I added a dash of ground curry powder and some of my friend's homemade apricot liqueur. The boys declared it my best jam ever!

Apricot-Curry Jam
10 C pitted, halved apricots
1 C organic granulated sugar
1/4 C water
2 T homemade apricot liqueur
1 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 t ground curry powder
1/4 t ground cardamom
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Wash, dry, and chop your fruit.

Cook your jam. To make the jam, place the fruit, liqueur, water, vanilla extract, and sugar into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring the jam constantly, for about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in your spices. Hold the jam at a constant simmer, checking frequently to make sure the jam isn’t scorched at the bottom of the pot.

After 15 minutes, check to see if your jam has set by running a wooden spoon down the middle of your jam. If the jam leaves a path, it's set. If the liquid runs back to fill the path, cook it a little bit longer. At the end, finish with your lemon juice.

I usually water process, but a friend - who is an avid jammer - told me she does it in the oven. So, I gave it a try and it worked really well. I did 325 degrees for 15 minutes. It sealed our jars beautifully.