By livewellutah on July 28, 2014 ( 1 Comment )

How To Can Apricots

Author – Amanda Christensen

It’s that time of year again…the popcorn has popped on the apricot tree in my backyard and we are enjoying the sweet, tangy taste right from the tree. There are a number of ways to enjoy the apricots now as well as later.

When the apricots are fresh, we love to enjoy them as a fabulously refreshing smoothie. Blend five to six fresh apricots with 1/2 cup apple juice and 1 cup of ice for a delicious treat.

To keep this delicious treat available even after the harvest is over, I decided to whip out the boiling water bath canner and preserve a few quarts of apricot halves and pints of delicious apricot nectar. Here’s a step-by-step guide following the USDA canning guidelines:

Hot Pack: Wash and blanch apricots; remove peel.

Cut in half and pit.

Make a light syrup by mixing 2 1/4 cups sugar with 5 1/4 cups water. Cook apricots in syrup one layer at a time until hot throughout.

Pack hot apricots, cavity side down, into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot syrup over apricots, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles, adjust two-piece caps. If you live at sea level process pints 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes, in a boiling-water canner. Note the additional time needed in the chart below based on the altitude in your area:

Altitude in Feet	Increase Processing Time
1,001-3,000	5 Minutes
3,001-6,000	10 Minutes
6,001-8,000	15 Minutes
8,001-10,000	20 Minutes

Amanda is an Extension Assistant Professor for Utah State University. She has a master’s degree in consumer sciences from Utah State and is proud to call herself an Aggie! Amanda loves teaching and enabling individuals and families to make smart money decisions.