Appetizing apricot jam, which has a juicy sweet taste with a pleasant sourness, is a valuable source of vitamins. In winter, it is simply irreplaceable, as it reminds you of a warm, gentle summer, energizes you and gives you a great mood. There are many ways and variations of its preparation. The simplest and fastest recipe is apricot jam made with gelatin. It turns out surprisingly tasty, beautiful, transparent and aromatic.
Features of preparing apricot jam with gelatin for the winter
Jam made from juicy ripe apricots with the addition of gelatin is especially useful due to minimal heat treatment. This sweet product, prepared for the winter, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and emotional state. Thanks to its jelly-like transparent consistency, this jam looks very attractive, which means it can decorate both everyday and holiday tables.
Gelatin promotes rapid thickening of the mass and reduces the total heat treatment time. Therefore, the product retains the maximum concentration of nutrients inherent in fresh apricot fruits.
Ingredients needed for the recipe
To prepare apricot jam according to this simple and affordable recipe, you will need the following products:
- 3 kg apricots;
- 70 g instant gelatin;
- 2 kg granulated sugar;
- 2 liters of filtered water;
- 15 g citric acid.
Rules for choosing ingredients
To make this jam, you can choose almost any variety of apricot. The main thing is that they have a pleasant aroma and expressive sweet taste. The fruits must be absolutely ripe, but not overripe, with a dense and elastic texture. Greenish apricots are not suitable for this purpose, as they can ruin the taste of the future jam.
Each apricot fruit must be carefully examined. They should be the same in shape and color.
Any defects on the surface are unacceptable.
How to prepare containers
When starting to prepare apricot jam with gelatin, you need to carefully inspect the glass jars to make sure there are no chips or cracks. There should be no rust marks on the metal screw caps.
There are several ways to disinfect containers:
- Wash with soda and put in the oven, preheating it to 160 degrees. Leave until all droplets dry. Heating for too long should be avoided to prevent glass containers from breaking.
- Place a wooden board at the bottom of a large saucepan. Place containers on top and fill the free space with water. Bring to a boil and hold for 15 minutes.
- Fill the pan with water and place over medium heat. Cover with a sieve or metal grid. Place containers on top with the neck down. After the water boils, they will be sterilized with steam.
Cooking process
The process of preparing apricot jam with gelatin is simple and takes minimal time:
- Blot thoroughly washed fruits with napkins.
- Cut in half and remove the kernels.
- Cut the apricot halves into several slices.
- Take a thick-bottomed cauldron or a spacious enamel pan and lay out the apricot slices.
- In a separate saucepan, boil water and dissolve sugar in it.
- Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, and then strain.
- Pour the resulting sugar syrup over the apricot slices and put on fire.
- After waiting for it to boil, simmer for ten minutes at medium flame. Don’t forget to stir and skim off any foam that forms.
- Turn off the burner and cool the jam.
- Then boil in the same way two more times.
- At the third stage of cooking, add citric acid.
Now you can start preparing the gelatin:
- Pour the contents of the bag into a glass or ceramic container and pour two glasses of warm water heated to 40 degrees.
- After an hour, heat the gelatin solution to 80 degrees and strain.
- Add to jam immediately before sterilization.
Further storage of jam
To store apricot jam with gelatin, you should choose a dry, dark and cool place with an air temperature not exceeding +10-15 °C. If these conditions are met, the product will retain all its beneficial properties for three years.
