Oven Canning, Fall Sweetness

Would you like a new canning method that does not involve a tedious water bath? I grew up canning this way in Italy. It’s simple and effective.

Fruit and Honey Jam

You will need:

• 4 pounds or so fresh, ripe apricots, berries, apples, or a combination

• 1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon and cardamom powder

• Pinch salt  

• 1/3 cup local honey 

Start by blanching and de-stoning the fruit. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with cold water. Drop the fruit 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 fruit 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 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 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 6 hours or so.

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 pantry shelves.