Apricots are incredibly healthy little powerhouses that hit their peak in late summer. But when harvest time rolls around, you might find yourself with more fruit than you know what to do with! While eating them fresh off the tree or baking them into a delicious cobbler is great, you can’t beat homemade jam. Or, if you want to enjoy that summer sunshine all through the winter, canning them in slices is the way to go.
How to Can Apricots the Right Way
Since these delicate stone fruits can spoil in just a few days, you’ll want to get to work pretty quickly after picking them. Canning is the perfect solution—when done right, your sweet apricots will stay delicious for about a year. Here’s my go-to method:
- First, whip up a simple syrup by boiling one liter of water and dissolving about a pound (500g) of sugar into it.
- Blanch your fruit by dropping it into boiling water for about two minutes.
- Immediately move them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Now for the prep: remove the pits, peel the skins, and slice the apricots into halves.
- Drop your sliced fruit straight into the simmering syrup.
- Make sure your jars (mason jars or flip-tops work best) are sterilized and ready to go.
- Fill the jars with the apricots and syrup, leaving about half an inch (one centimeter) of headspace at the top.
- Seal the jars and place them in your canner, making sure they aren’t touching each other.
- Process them for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Once you take them out, cover the jars with a kitchen towel and let them cool down completely.
The Shortcut: Raw Packing Your Apricots
If you’re looking to save a little time, you can actually skip the blanching step and “raw pack” your apricots. Just follow the same prep steps—pitting, peeling, and slicing—but keep the fruit raw. Pack the halves tightly into your sterilized jars first, then pour the warm syrup over them, again leaving that half-inch of headspace. Process them in your canner according to the manufacturer’s instructions and let them cool just like the cooked method. Happy canning!