It is easy to find Turkish apricots in American markets, but only the dried ones. In Turkey, they produce 20% of world’s apricot. Whenever I need to buy some in the market, I usually tend to buy those, instead of the local ones.

Last time I was home, my mom gave me the main ingredients of this jam. After I decided to make this jam, I started cutting them into 4 or 6 pieces (depending on how big they were), and when I said to myself “I guess that’s enough” I weighed them and they were 400gr. Next, I put them in a large bowl and covered with water. After 1 - 2 hrs, the water was all absorbed; I added some more. After a while, they do not absorb water, so it is time for a new action! I weighed the apricots (after draining the extra water) and they were now 800gr. So, I guess if you’ll try this recipe, you can start off with 800gr of fresh ones (minus their seeds.)

The following recipe is made with the dried ones…

Ingredients:

1. 400gr dried apricots
2. 800gr sugar
3. 1/2 lemon juice

How to make it:

1. Divide the dried apricots into 4 or 6 pieces
2. Put them in a large bowl and cover with water. After couple of hours, check them and add some more water. I suggest not adding too much water, but enough to swallow, as we’ll add the extra water when boiling the jam, and you do not want it too watery… I kept them in water for 4 hours, if you want, even overnight should be fine



3. Put the apricots and the extra water (in my case it was about 1 cup of water) into a pot where you’ll be cooking the jam and add the sugar as well
4. In medium heat, let the jam cook. Stir once in a while and if you like, collect the foam with a slotted spoon and put in another plate
5. 20 mins after it boils, add the lemon juice and let boil for another 20 mins
6. Probably it still is not the consistency you would like your jam to be, but instead of keep boiling, we’ll “cook” them a bit longer under the sun (this also is a good way to make sure that the jam does not lose its vibrant color):
   Pour the jam into a cooking tray (I prefer a glass baking pan) and cover it with double layer cheesecloth so the fly, bees do not get into it, and also put it into a “water bath” so the ants would not get in, either. There are many ways to ensure it, but let me tell you how I do it: I fill a bigger baking pan with water and put 2 or 3 small bowls upside down into it. They are the “islands” that my jam tray will sit on. Leave the tray under the sun, and depending on the sun level and the heat of the day, you should check on this every couple of hours; stir the top and let it lose more water until it reaches the consistency you are looking for



7. Divide them into sterilized jars, and enjoy!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2005 at 9:02 pm and is filed under Jam. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.