Homemade Apricot Jam

My son Casey has fruit and nut trees in his yard and yesterday he brought over apricots for me to make jam. 

The apricots were perfect, soft enough for eating and not too ripe. 

For the most part, I followed this recipe from Food.com.

Apricot Jam

Ingredients:

8 cups sliced apricots, pitted and skin left on

1/4 cup lemon juice

6 cups sugar

Directions:

Sterilize 10 half-pint canning jars by boiling for 10 minutes in hot water canner.

Combine apricots, lemon juice and sugar in a large stock pot.

Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

Once mixture reaches a rolling boil, continue boiling for 30-50 minutes, mashing occasionally with a potato masher and stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking. (Trust me. You don't want scorched fruit floating around.)

During this process, why not reward yourself with your favorite treat? I did!

Remove from heat and ladle quickly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Wipe rims with clean damp cloth and place canning lids (prepared according to box directions) on rims. 

Secure with rings and process in boiling water for 15 minutes.

Remove carefully and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

Sooo Pretty.