Success

Well I had a go at the Apricot Jam today.  I was successful and also learnt a few things.

Yesterday, I cut up all the fruit and layered it with sugar and put it aside overnight.  This morning after our walk I decided to make the jam.  Following instructions given to me, I added water and orange juice to the Apricots and added more sugar.  I had to put the Apricots in a big baking dish so that it would fit. Funnily I didn't have a pot that would accommodate all the Apricots !

It had to come to the boil and then cook at that temperature for 20 minutes. First lesson, never leave the pot when you are making jam.  It boiled and overflowed all this sugary syrup all over my stove, over the stove and onto the floor.  Everything was sticky! 

I reduced the heat and then stood over the stove until it was time to put the jamsetta.  The jam didn't seem to be setting. On reading the instructions they advise you not to cook more than 1.5kg of jam at  a time. That was my second lesson. I was cooking 5kg. Not having made Apricot jam before, I really should have listened to the experts.  I added another packet of jamsetta, and cooked some more. It 'seemed' to be setting, after 3 different 'setting' tests. So,  I gave it another 10 minutes off the heat and bottled them. 

Victor said it taste 'good'. I think it tastes too sweet but nice, especially since there are chunky bits of Apricots in there as well.

The bottles are various shapes and sizes.  We have a store called 'Chickenfeed' over here, which is much like Crazy Clarkes in Queensland and the Dollar Stores in the States.  They were selling gorgeous bottles for Jam and they were $7 for 14 bottles.  But of course I didn't buy them.  I went to buy some yesterday and they were all out ! There is another lesson.Always buy stuff like that when you see it and not have after thoughts about it a week later.  Too late.

All bottled and store for the winter ! :-)  Success indeed !