Canning: Apricots in Light Syrup

Have you ever walked past some perfectly ripe fruit and been seized by the urge to can it up? I was seized by that very feeling today, and I went on a canning binge! I was passing by some ripe, juicy-looking apricots and the urge to preserve just hit me, haha :)

I ended up buying about 3 lbs of apricots and canning Apricots in light syrup- a first for me. I usually can peaches this way, which are amazing and probably my favorite home-canned product.

I also realized tonight that I still had some blueberries left over from my canning class this past weekend, and I decided to make Blueberry Jam! It turned into more of a Blueberry Juice for some reason- I think I might need to invest in some fresh pectin. At any rate, I canned Apricots and some type of Blueberry product.

The apricots were easy, by the way. If you're looking for a quick canning project, this is another one to try!
I did a raw pack (rather than a hot pack), which made the process especially quick. If a canning frenzy claims you, here's the recipe (from the Ball Blue Book of Canning):

Apricots in Light Syrup

Supplies needed:

a water bather canner (or a really large pot)

a rack to go inside the canning pot

canning jars- Ball and Kerr are two frequently-used brands

a set of 6 Pint-sized jar lids & bands

canning tongs to grab the hot jars                                                                                  

Between 2 and 2 1/2 lbs apricots

2 1/4 cups sugar

5 1/4 cups water

Directions:

(Raw Pack) Wash apricots. Cut in half and pit; do not peel. Treat to prevent darkening. Pack apricots, cavity side down, into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Make a light syrup by combining the water and the sugar together in a saucepan- heat the mixture to a boil, and stir. Once the mixture is boiling, its ready to pour over the apricots in their jars- ladle the syrup into the jars (a funnel is helpful here) and again, leave 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles (I like to use a chopstick for this purpose) and place the lids and the bands on the top of the jars, and screw on. Process 25 minutes in a boiling water canner (for pints).