Canning Whole Fruit - Apricots, Plums

by Sandra Nickerson on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 8:56pm

Canning whole fruit like this couldn’t be easier, because beyond washing, the fruit needs no prepping (some recipes recommend piercing the skin with a sharp fork several times. Do this if you don’t want the skins to crackle.). You simply pack the raw, whole fruit as tightly as you can into your cleaned jars, pour the syrup in to cover, shake out the air bubbles and process. Tucked a cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, star anise, or apricot pit into each jar, but that’s as fancy as you need to go. The quarts process for 25 minutes in a boiling water bath and then you’re done.

So, if you have a glut of plums, peaches, apricots - this is a great way to handle them quickly and easily. When winter comes, you can eat them whole with yogurt or ice cream, make a cobbler with them, or even stew them down further and eat them over oatmeal. So, so good.

Whole Plums Preserved in Honey Syrup

1 1/2 cups of honey
4 cups of water
enough plums or other fruit to fill four quart jars (I used three of my four quarts)
4 cinnamon sticks, a vanilla bean sliced into four pieces or four star anise bits

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the honey and water and bring to a boil.
Bring a canning pot or large stock pot to a boil.
I like to use my oven to sterilize my jars and lids after you have cleaned them.
Insert your cinnamon stick, vanilla bean or star anise. Fill jars with honey syrup, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
Wipe rims (with vinegar) to remove all traces of any spilled honey syrup, apply lids and tightened rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 25 minutes (starting time when the pot returns to a boil after the jars have been placed inside).
When processing time is up, remove the jars to a cutting board or towel-lined countertop (as they cool and seal, they might spit out a bit of sticky syrup, so don’t let them cool on any surface that can’t handle that). Let the jars cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
When jars are completely cool, remove the rings, check the seals and wipe the jars down to remove any sticky residue. Label and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.