It's apricot season and time to preserve them for the winter. How about a tasty jam? The flavour and aroma are increased by vanilla and an apricot liquor.

Step 1: Ingredients:

1000grams apricots
500grams gelling sugar 2:1
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 vanilla pod
2 tablespoons Marillenschnaps (apricot liquor)

Tools:

Step 2: Prepare the Apricots

First you have to wash and towel the fruits. Cut them in half, remove the kernel and then mince the rest of the fruit pulp. Put them in a big cooking pot.

Step 3: Harvest Vanilla

Cut the vanilla pod with a longitudal cut, scrape out the pulp with the knife and add the pulp to the apricots.

Step 4: Gelling Sugar

Apricots are rich in sweetness but low in pectin. Therefor we need a gelling sugar. There are many types of gelling sugars, I picked the 2:1 version for a better taste and less sweetness. The 2:1 simply means you add twice as many fruits in weight than you have sugar.

Stir everything and let it simmer. I added the rest of the vanilla pod to the mix for more flavour, it will be removed before the blending.

Step 5: Preparing the Canning Jars

Time to pick a huge bowl, fill it with boiling water and lay the canning jars inside for desinfection.

Step 6: Blending

Time to take out the vanilla pod and the hand held blender.

Step 7: Boiling

When everything is blended smoothly, increase the heat and boil for 7 minutes while stirring the mixture.

Step 8: Drying the Canning Jars

Meanwhile spread a kitchen towel on a table, take the canning jars out of the water and let them dry with the mouth down on the towel.

Step 9: Adding the Schnaps

Now its time for the Marillenschnaps or whatever the liquor you picked. Add 2 tablespoons to the mix and stir.

Step 10: Bottling

Time to fill the prepared canning jars. Use a funnel to prevent spills. Then close the jars and flip them over. Let them rest upside down and cover them with a kitchen towel to keep in the heat.