Blue Ribbon Habanero Apricot Jam Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Wash and sterilize jars and keep them hot until jam is ready. Place boiling water canner with jar rack insert on burner with enough water to cover your jars once they are filled. Turn burner on high and begin boiling. (I always have extra water ready to boil in case I need it to cover the jars.) Also, place lids and rings in water and boil, and then reduce heat to keep them hot and sterile without melting the rubber seals. Just before jam is done (about 5 minutes before), remove jars from boiling water, and place on CLEAN towel to drain. See https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/jam/margarita-jelly-with-added-picture-tutorial.html?p=1 for pictorial of these steps. Note: to prevent cloudy mineral discoloration of jars, you may place two teaspoons of white vinegar in your canner water and in the water you are using to boil your jars.
• 2. (Always use gloves when handling hot peppers.) In large pan, (I use a large dutch oven sized pan to prevent boiling over), combine apricots, chopped peppers (jalapeno, orange or yellow bell, and habanero), white wine vinegar, butter, and sugar. Stir. Bring to a full boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add powdered pectin and return to boil. Boil rapidly for 1 more minute and then check for doneness by using Karla Everett's method with fork tines. The jam should remain spread out between the fork tines when at the jelly stage. (See Karla Everett's https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/non-editible/other-non-edible/jelly-jam-making-tips.html?p=1)
• 3. When done, remove from heat. Scoop off any foam. Have jars ready. Place them in a kitchen sink lined with a clean dish towel. Using a canning funnel, scoop jam into jars within 1/2 and 3/4 inch of rim. Remove jars one or two at a time from sink, and place on a towel covered counter. Using a CLEAN wet towel or paper towel, wash off the rim of each jar. (If any jam gets on the rim, it will not seal.) Then dry rim. Take sterilized lids and rings out of the pan of hot water with the tines of a fork or tongs, and cap each jar and screw on ring. Using the tongs, place each capped jar into the boiling water canner (on top of rack). Once all jars are loaded, check the water level. If additional water is needed to cover the jars with at least an inch or two of water, pour boiling water in.
• 4. Once the water in the canner is at a rolling boil (meaning you can't stir the boiling water down) time the boil for at least ten minutes. Never use larger jars than pints for canning jelly or jam as one cannot ensure that the internal temperature reached is sufficient in the water bath method. Once time is up, turn off heat, and carefully use canning tongs to remove each jar (keeping each upright) and place the jars on a dish towel covered counter. Leave a little space between each jar. If you want to lay a paper towel over them to dry up the water on the lids that's fine, but don't touch the lids. Allow them to seal on their own. You will begin to hear them pop. Some take longer than others, but be patient. Any which don't seal should go into the refrigerator and be used within a couple of weeks. Sometimes, I touch the seal at this point and it seals, but my mom says only trust them if they seal on their own.
• 5. Notes regarding changes: Nestingground said nothing about removing seeds, and I followed this part of the recipe because I love the heat. The original had only 1 yellow, orange, or red bell pepper, but I thought the orange and yellow would better match the apricots, and mine were small, so I added two. The original had no habanero pepper nor any butter. I added the pepper for heat and the butter to reduce foaming. The blog notes say that this makes 4-5 half pint jars, but mine made almost 7 half pint jars. To see the original, please see this link: http://nestinground.blogspot.com/2010/08/apricot-jalapeno-jelly.html This is a great blog.

Steps:

• Pit and chop apricots; place in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Stir in lemon juice.
• Place habaneros in a blender; add a small amount of apricot mixture. Cover and process until smooth. Return to the pan.
• Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil.
• Quickly stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil; boil and stir for 1 minute.
• Pour hot mixture into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-in headspace. Adjust caps.
• Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.
• For best results, let processed jam stand at room temperature for 2 weeks to set up.
• Makes 11 half-pints.

Steps:

• Using a food processor, finely mince the diced apricots.
• Place the apricots in a large stainless steel stockpot, add the vinegar and cover. Let the apricots soak in the vinegar for at least 4 hours (can be left to sit overnight if you'd like, but 4 hours will do the trick).
• Using a food processor, finely mince the red bell pepper and habanero peppers.
• Place the apricots, vinegar, peppers, and sugar in a large stainless steel stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to make sure all the sugar dissolves.
• Once the mixture has reached a full rolling boil (a boil you can not stir down), it will double in size. Stirring constantly, keep at a full boil for one minute.
• Remove from heat and whisk in pectin and continue to stir for 3 minutes - this helps to evenly distribute the apricot and pepper pieces throughout the jelly.
• Ladle the jelly into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with damp paper towels to remove any jelly which got on the rims or the threads. Place the lids and the bands on the jars, just tightening the bands fingertip tight.
• Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes, then remove and let sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours before checking seals. It is important to let them sit undisturbed for 12 hours because the sealing compound on the lids is still cooling and hardening, completing the seal. While the jars cool, you will hear a "plink" type sound from each jar - this is the jars completing the vacuum seal as the final air escapes the jar. After 12 hours have passed, remove the bands and check the lids - press down in the center of the lid. If you cannot push the lid down any further, the jar is sealed. If the lid "gives" a bit, and you can push it down, the jar did not seal. You can either put the band back on the jar, and reprocess it for another 5 minutes, or you can just put it in the fridge and use it within 3 months.

Steps:

• Soak apricots in boiling water in a bowl until hydrated, about 30 minutes. Blend apricots, remaining water, and vanilla extract in a food processor, working in batches, until blended but still slightly chunky.
• Combine apricot mixture with pectin in a large pot over medium heat; cook until just boiling. Add sugar and lemon juice; boil until sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the apricot jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4-inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2-inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool, about 1 hour. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.