Canning Apricots for Preserves
Apricots are high in vitamins and nutrients, taste great and store well. When canning apricots, understand that there is a timeframe that you must work within. The apricot season is short and apricots do not fool around once they begin to ripen. Once they’re picked, apricots must be processed immediately.
This fruit is packed with Vitamin A and tastes something like a cross between a peach and a pear. For dieters, it’s a good choice as a snack or to flavor foods. Apricots boost the nervous system and improve digestion and bone density. Apricots are also used in massage oils because of their soothing scent. Apricot puree makes a great tasting, low-calorie replacement for vegetable oil in muffins, cakes and pancake recipes.
Storing Apricots
Fresh apricots will last about five days in the refrigerator. However, when home canning apricots, you can expect to enjoy your bounty well into the following season when it’s time to pick another crop of apricots and start canning all over again.
Storing nearly ripe or already ripe apricots in the refrigerator will keep them from ripening faster. Placing green apricots into a brown paper bag will hasten the ripening process as well. Place a banana in the bag and you should have a ripe apricot by morning.
For home canning purposes, any apricot will do. Make sure the apricots are firm, have a nice, red-gold color or blush to them and do not have blemishes or signs of worms. Because apricots are a small fruit, you’ll need about ten pounds, or slightly over half a bushel for one canner load of nine pints.
Canning Preserves
Apricots can be canned exactly the same way you would can peaches. Heavy syrup or light syrup is a matter of choice. Because apricots are a fruit, they are naturally high in acid and can be canned in a hot water bath.
Canning Articles, Videos & HowTos
It used to be that the home canning process was the only way to preserve meats, fruits and vegetables, and jams and jellies. But even though modern conveniences have made preserving food a choice rather than a necessity, home canning remains a satisfying way to reap the bounty from your garden. Home canning isn't difficult to learn, but you do need to adhere to some strict safety guidelines to ensure that what you preserve can be safely eaten.
Keep the results of your garden tasty during the cold winter months. Canning green beans is a relatively simple process — once you know the proper procedure.
If you plan on canning pears, it’s important to understand how to determine the best time and types of pears to pick. Though pears ripen across the United States from August through October, few commercially grown pears are ever allowed to ripen on the trees. Instead, pears are picked early to prevent disease and insect infestation.
After you have learned how to grow horseradish, the next challenge looms: canning horseradish. Read on to learn how to can it like a pro.
Canning pickled eggs is as easy as boiling water. All you need is a hard-boiled egg and some pickling solution.
Mindspark™ properties: