I grew up walking to the orchard hear my grandmother’s house and gleaning dropped apricots after the farmers had taken their harvest.

We would haul huge baskets back to her sunny kitchen facing the Dolomites and stir endlessly until the jam was ready. We filled jars and jars with this golden magic and stored them in the root cellar to enjoy throughout the winter.

Apricots remain my favorite fruit, and their jam is just as magical to me now as it was during childhood. Enjoy this simple apricot jam recipe with no sugar, pectin, or water bath canning required. I learned this oven canning method as a child and use it both for jam and for applesauce and tomato sauce. Traditionally, oven canning is done in an outdoor oven after higher temperature foods like bread or pizza have already been cooked.

Enjoy making this glorious apricot honey jam and the gift of light that it will offer during the darker months.

Apricot Honey Jam

You will need:

• 4 pounds or so fresh, ripe apricots (visit your local coop or farmers market) 

• 1/2½teaspoon each: cinnamon and cardamom powder 

• 1/8 teaspoon salt  

• 1/3 cup local honey 

Start by blanching and de-stoning the apricots. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with cold water. Drop the apricots into boiling water and boil for 20 seconds. Transfer to the ice water with a slotted spoon, and cool briefly. Slip off the skins, cut in half and remove the stones.  

Place the apricots and spices in a heavy saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the apricots have broken down into a Stir often until the apricots have reduced into a thick purée.  

While the jam is cooking, sterilize pint mason jars and lids by placing them in the sink, pouring boiling water over them, and draining them on a clean dish towel.  

Separate oven racks so that a jar fits in between them and line the racks with cookie sheets. 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 

Add honey to the apricots and stir to incorporate. Taste for sweetness and add more honey if desired. Turn off heat and ladle hot jam into hot jars. Make sure you leave 5 cm of headspace from the top of the jar.  

Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace as needed. 

Wipe any jam off of jar rims and put lids on jars.  Screw bands down until tight.  

Turn off the oven. Place jars in oven and leave them in for 8 hours or overnight. Do not open the oven after placing the jars inside.

Test jars by pressing on the top to make sure that the lid is firm.  Repeat the oven canning process for any lids that are not firm. Label jars with name and date, place on your pantry shelves. Enjoy with grilled local trout, on toast, or with pancakes.