Out Of Jam Jitters

This week we ran out of homemade jam. Gasp! But only for a few hours.

We have been making jam for a decade or more, since enjoying the abundance of giant Himalayan Blackberries on the west coast. 

There was a time we went a year without jam, and if you had to reduce your food bill or calories, it would be  a good candidate for elimination from the diet.

Ultimately, we went back on the jam. And have been on it since.

Lovely, lovely jam. Get-you-out-of-bed-in-the-morning jam. An effective anti-depressant in troubled times. It's one of the "little things".

After moving from the west to the east coast in 2014 we switched from blackberries to strawberries and blueberries for jam making.

And last year we didn't make quite enough jammy goodness to get us to this year's strawberry harvest, which will begin in the next few days, weather permitting.

What to do? Hint: it is not "go without".

Rather than buy jam from the store, Linda wanted to see what we could do at home with what we already have. 

Challenge accepted.

In our recent food club order we received a bag of organic dried apricots. Can one make jam from dried fruit? Indeed one can.

We found a recipe online and in about 45 minutes we had about 750 ml of a very nice apricot jam to get us through till we can make strawberry jam in a couple of weeks. 

We kept a jar out, and put three more in the freezer.

So, technically we were out of jam, but due to Linda's ingenuity, it was only for a short while. 

After spreading some of that dark and subtle sweetness on homemade graham wafers and savouring our new creation, the jitters subsided.

I guess we're jamaholics. 

Quick And Easy Dried Apricot Jam

Ingredients

• 12 oz dried apricots
• water
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• ½ cup packed brown sugar can sub white

Instructions

• With a kitchen scissors, cut two apricots in half at a time. Cut the halves into three pieces each so each apricot is cut into six pieces each. (Can be cut smaller if you prefer smaller chunks in your jam.)
• Place the chopped apricots into a 4 cup measuring cup. Add water to the 4 cup line.
• Dump all that into a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add the salt and simmer for about 30 minutes until the apricots are tender and the jam coats a spoon. Stir in the brown sugar.
• Decant into ½ pint jars and refrigerate for several weeks or freeze for six months. Note, this jam does not have enough sugar to be considered safe for pressure or water bath canning.

Source: https://www.mirlandraskitchen.com/dried-apricot-jam/