How to Can Apricots
Canning your own fruit is a great way to get through any large quantity you may have on hand - like perhaps 25 lbs. of apricots, for example. Honey spiced apricots take the usual canned fruit to a higher level, giving you a mildly spicy, sweet, cinnamony flavored apricot. These apricots go great with yogurt cake, yogurt, cheese or spooned over some ice cream.
Learn how to make these Honey Spiced Apricots.
I take the time to do one extra step before canning and that is to dunk the sliced apricots in a citric acid / water solution. This will keep the apricots from browning, something that does not hurt anything it just doesn't look very appealing. I have citric acid on hand for cheese making and canning tomatoes, so this is an easy step. 2 teaspoons of citric acid to 8 cups of water, stirred well, is all it takes. If you do not have citric acid you can also use 1/2 cup bottled lemon juice mixed with 8 cups of water instead.
I was able to use my largest skillet to heat the apricots in the honey syrup, but any pot you want to use will work. I like the skillet because a single layer of fruit provided enough apricots to fill 2 pint jars, making the process of doing all 9 pint jars a bit faster. I did have leftover syrup when I was all done. If you do too, just store it in a jar in your fridge and add it to any of your favorite summer drinks - lemonade or ice tea or a rhubarb shrub. The apricots will flavor the syrup just a little and it makes a tasty sweetener.
I am happy with my stash of apricots in the pantry. Canning them this way is straight forward and simple and really helps me get through a large amount of fruit in a short bit of time.
