Zucchini is such a versatile product that it is suitable for both savory and sweet dishes. Cakes, cookies and pancakes are made from it, but a particularly interesting option is zucchini and apricot jam for the winter. The abundance of these products during the season sometimes takes you by surprise; housewives want to preserve as many fruits as possible, and then preservation comes to the rescue. The color of the jam will be a pleasant carrot shade. The smell and taste will be dominated by apricot, and zucchini will give volume.
The subtleties of making zucchini and apricot jam for the winter
Following some subtleties will help you prepare jam as close to ideal as possible:
- Before preparing jam, wash apricots and zucchini thoroughly to ensure long-term storage.
- Instead of jam, you can easily get jam, just change one step in the preparation. Remove wet elements from food. In zucchini it will be pulp with seeds, and it is better to replace apricot with dried apricots.
- Cover jam spilled into jars with new sterile lids; scratched or deformed products will only spoil the product.
- You cannot overheat the mixture of zucchini and apricots, as this will destroy all the beneficial substances.
- If you plan to store jam for a long time, you do not need to seal the jars with vacuum lids, this will lead to their depressurization or air entry after 1-2 months.
Recipe Ingredients Required
You will need to prepare the following components:
- zucchini - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1-1.5 kg;
- apricots (can be replaced with dried apricots, but reduce the quantity by 2 times) - 500 g;
- lemon juice and zest - from 2 lemons;
- water - 700 ml.
How to select and prepare ingredients
Take young zucchini; in this case, there is no need to remove the peel, seeds and pulp. But it is not forbidden to choose old fruits; they are especially suitable for jam and will not greatly affect the taste.
To prepare the zucchini, wash it well to remove dirt, if necessary, remove the peel with a vegetable peeler or knife, and remove the seeds with a tablespoon along with the fibers.
If apricots are used, they should not be overripe, but not completely hard. Medium elasticity would be ideal. Before cooking, wash them thoroughly and remove the seeds by cutting them in half.If it is not possible to select fruits without flaws, then they will need to be removed with a knife.
If dried apricots are added instead of apricots, it should be without shine and simple, since this is what is natural and does not contain additives or dyes.
It is important to select zucchini and apricots for jam that do not have damage or signs of spoilage.
Preparing containers
The jars chosen for filling zucchini and apricot jam should not have any defects, and the same applies to the lids. Wash and sterilize containers well, choosing a convenient method.
You can do this in the microwave by pouring about a centimeter of water into the bottom of each container and placing it in the microwave for 3-5 minutes at a power of 800 W. Or use calcination in the oven, placing wet jars in it at 160 degrees and removing them when the drops on their walls completely disappear.
Keep screw caps in boiling water for 15 minutes immediately before screwing on the jars, and sterilize plastic ones along with the containers.
How to make zucchini-apricot jam
Cooking steps:
- Grate the prepared zucchini on a coarse grater or cut into arbitrary pieces and place in a saucepan. Add a little water and boil, grind into puree.
- Place apricots, cut in half, into a separate container. Add a small amount of water and boil. If dried apricots are used, they should be left soaked in 500 ml of water overnight.
- Combine the two prepared masses, add sugar, zest and juice from two lemons.
- Place the container with the future jam on high heat, and after boiling, reduce it to medium, leave for 35 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened.
- Pour the finished product into hot jars and tighten the lids.
- Turn each container of jam upside down, cover with warm clothes and leave for 24 hours.
Storage conditions
Store cooled jars of jam on a common shelf with the rest of the preserves. As a rule, a dark and cool room is used for this. Under such conditions, the jam will be usable for 1 to 3 years.
