Today is apricot rosemary jam day.
I made this jam last year and loved the herbal notes that the rosemary adds to the flavor. It is wonderful over a bit of goat cheese or as a marinade for chicken. Unfortunately for me, I made only enough to pass along for gifts and didn’t remember to keep even one jar for our house! This past Sunday I bought 22 pounds of apricots from our local farmer’s market to make sure I made enough! I am excited to report that the rosemary that I am using this year comes from our little garden.
The recipe I am using is inspired by a post from Food in Jars:(http://www.foodinjars.com/2011/07/urban-preserving-apricot-rosemary-jam/)
One of the reasons I like it is that it is very easy. I am a bit of a lazy preserver, in that I don’t really relish the idea of extra work (as in, taking the skin off of fruit). With apricots, all you need to do is pull them apart, take out the pit and you are good to go. The other reason I like this recipe is that it is quick. I made six batches (24 half pints) in about 3 hours, which is exactly how long I had since preschool camp this week is from 9:00am – noon.
The cherubs are on their way home, so quickly here is the recipe if you feel inspired:
Apricot Rosemary Jam (makes 4 half pints)
4 cups apricots (halved and pitted)
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary (or omit for traditional apricot jam)
4 tablespoons lemon juice
Mash apricots, not necessary for them to all be the same size. Place apricots, sugar, and rosemary in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, until fruit thickens and runs slowly and thickly off back of spoon. Add lemon juice. Stir to combine. Remove pot from heat.
Ladle jam into four half pint jars. Wipe rims of jars with wet paper towel, apply lids and rings and process in your boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
Remove jars from pot. Let cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. If seals are good, store jars in a cool, dark place. If any of the jars did not seal, place those jars in the fridge and use within a month or two.
Enjoy!
Poole Party of 5 
I made this one last year too, but didn’t chop the rosemary finely enough, so it was sort of woody. But a lovely taste. Did you strip the leaves off the stalks before chopping? (I think not doing that that was my mistake)
Hi Kitchenjammin! I appreciate your comment. Yes, I think that is a really important step. Thanks for bringing it up. Definitely strip rosemary leaves from the stalk before chopping. Maybe try it again this year?