Tamarillo and Apricot Jam

Directions

1. Pull the stems off the tamarillos, slice lengthwise, scoop out the pulp inside and put in a bowl, discarding the spongy outer shell of the fruit. Slice, pit and chop apricots into approximately 1” pieces and add to a bowl with the tamarillos. 

2. Add the sugar to the fruit, and then add the lemon juice, tossing gently until all the sugar has dissolved and the tamarillo pulp begins to break up.Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate overnight. 

3. Bring the macerated fruit to temperature and stir well to incorporate any sugar that has sunk to the bottom. Transfer the fruit into a 5½ quart enamel Dutch oven or non-reactive pot and cook over medium high heat. 

4. Stir continuously while cooking, and remove any foam that rises from the surface with a fine mesh skimmer or a spoon. The mixture will thicken and reduce by about one third. 

5. Remove the pot from the heat once the jam reaches 220° F or the drops of syrup begin to pour off the spoon in a double-drip pattern, about 30 minutes.

6. Scald four half-pint mason jars in a large pot of simmering water fitted with a rack. In a bowl, pour boiling water over the jar lids and rings. Place a thick dishcloth or cutting board on the counter. Using tongs or a jar lifter, carefully remove the jars from the pot of water, empty them, and place the hot jars on the cutting board or cloth right before filling them. Keep the pot of water at a low simmer.

7. With a canning funnel placed over the jar, carefully fill jar using a ladle to ¼” of headspace from the jar rim. Do not touch rims or edges of jars with your hands or fingers.

8. Using a moist paper towel, wipe the tops and edges of the jars clean. Using tongs, remove lids from the boiling water and place on jars. Do not touch underside or edge of lids.  Then place rings on jars and screw on finger-tight, just enough to keep lids in place. Return the jars to the simmering water bath, making sure jars are covered by at least 1” of water.

9. Bring the water up to a boil, then start your timer and boil the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, wait until the water calms, and then remove jars with jar lifter or tongs without tilting them and cool completely on a cloth towel.  Let jars sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours, then check to make sure jars have sealed properly. During this time, you may hear a popping sound, indicating the vacuum seal has been created.  Jars that did not form vacuum seal (a slight bump or rise in center of lid) must be kept under refrigeration, or emptied, contents reheated, and canning process repeated with new lids. Rings and jars may be reused.