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When a blizzard is blowing outside the window and the frost is creaking, it is the fruit preparation of apricots, reminiscent of little suns, that will help maintain good spirits and good mood, bringing with it a piece of summer sun warmth and light. There are a great many recipes for apricot preparations, but in syrup they turn out to be as natural and tasty as possible, and in terms of ease of preparation, hardly any other delicacy can compete with them.
How to cook syrup
Syrup for harvesting apricots is usually quite dense and viscous due to its significant sugar content. Although in some recipes especially for adherents of a healthy diet, the sugar content in syrup is minimal.
To prevent the preparation from darkening over time and becoming sugared, it is necessary to strictly follow the basic requirements for cooking syrup:
- To prepare syrup, it is better to use a thick-walled pan or at least with a multi-layer bottom so that the sugar does not burn.
- The required amount of water according to the recipe is first brought to a boil and only then sugar is added to it.
- Sugar is added very gradually, in small portions, and the syrup is constantly stirred thoroughly. The next portion of sugar should be added only after the previous portion is completely dissolved in water.
- After adding the last portion of sugar according to the recipe, the syrup is boiled for no more than 5 minutes.
Preparing fruit and dishes
Apricots must be thoroughly washed. The best way to free fruits from various contaminants is to soak them for 15-20 minutes in cold water. After which they must be rinsed well in running water and dried on a waffle or paper towel.
Glass jars for preparing canned food are also thoroughly washed and then sterilized either in the oven, or in the microwave, or in a convection oven.
For preservation, simply place the lids in boiling water for 30 seconds.
Recipes for apricots in syrup
The most delicious, original and varied recipes for preparing apricots in syrup have been selected here, so there are examples of preparations for almost every taste.
With bones
This recipe for preparing apricots in syrup is considered the most traditional and at the same time the simplest and easiest to implement, even for those housewives who decided to start canning for the first time. There is no need to even pre-cook the sugar syrup, since the mixing of products already takes place in jars.
In addition, the preparation with seeds turns out to be the richest in taste and aroma, and true gourmets will certainly appreciate its merits.
Since after 12 months after preparation apricot kernels can begin to release toxic hydrocyanic acid and consuming the product can cause serious digestive problems.
To prepare the delicacy, fruits of medium ripeness are taken; they should be firm and not overripe.It is best to use medium and small apricots for this recipe, so that they are more convenient to place in jars.
As for the size of the jars, it is more rational to use liter jars for this preparation. However, for special receptions and meetings with many guests, you can also prepare several large 2 or 3 liter jars.
In addition to the apricots and sugar themselves, you need to boil several liters of water.
Cooked apricots are pierced in several places with a toothpick and placed tightly in sterilized jars. A glass of sugar is added to each liter jar on top. (In larger jars, the amount of added sugar increases proportionally.)
Then each jar is filled with boiling water, leaving 1 cm to the edges, and covered with a lid. The next step is to sterilize the jars with the contents either in boiling water, or use any other device convenient for you: convection oven, microwave, oven. Liter jars are sterilized for 10 minutes.
At the end of the sterilization process, the jars are finally sealed and cooled at room temperature.
In slices
What is the beauty of this preparation is that even greenish and not very sweet apricots can be used for it, the main thing is that they are firm and without damage. Over many months of ripening in sweet syrup, they will in any case acquire the missing sweetness and juiciness.
The cooking method is also very simple.
First, sugar syrup is boiled. To do this, dissolve 250 g of sugar and a small amount of citric acid (1/4 teaspoon) in 400 ml of water. Boil for about 2-3 minutes to completely dissolve the sugar.
At the same time, the cooked apricots are cut into halves or even quarters, the pits are removed, and they are tightly placed, cut side down, in sterile jars. Very carefully pour boiling syrup into jars of fruit, not reaching 1 cm from the neck.
Covering the jars with sterile lids, they must be sterilized: 0.5 liter jars - 15 minutes, 1 liter jars - 20 minutes.
After sterilization, the jars are finally closed, turned upside down and sent to cool at room temperature.
In honey syrup
For those who are trying to reduce sugar consumption to a minimum and in all cases are looking for a replacement for it, the following recipe is offered. Instead of sugar, honey is used, and the product immediately acquires a special taste and aroma. All production steps are similar to those described in the previous recipe, but when cooking the syrup, 1 cup of honey is added to 2.5 cups of water. This amount of syrup should be enough to twist 1.5 kg of apricot.
Such a preparation can be stored even in room conditions for more than one year - these are the preservative properties of honey. The main thing is that the apricots are completely dry; even a drop of water getting into the workpiece can adversely affect its safety.
Without sterilization
Among those who do not like to bother with sterilization, the following recipe is very popular.
Taken:
- 500-600 g apricots;
- 300-400 g sugar;
- 400 ml water.
This amount of ingredients is usually enough for one liter jar. Placed apricots are poured with prepared sugar syrup and infused for about 20 minutes. Then the syrup is drained, heated again to a boil and poured back into the jar. This procedure must be repeated a total of three times. After which the jars are screwed on with lids and wrapped upside down until they cool.
No cooking
Apricots prepared according to a similar recipe, but with more sugar and a longer infusion time, are especially tasty.
In this option, for 1 kg of apricots, take 1 kg of sugar and only 200 g of water. After pouring sugar syrup over the apricots for the first time, they are left to infuse for about 6-8 hours, then the syrup is drained, brought to a boil, and the apricots are poured over it again. Again, a 6-8 hour exposure follows, and these processes should be repeated 5-6 times in a row (or as long as you have enough patience). Of course, it will take a few days, but the result is worth the time spent. At the end, as usual, the jars are screwed on with lids and turned over until they cool completely.
If you want to do without heat treatment at all and still fully preserve the taste of fresh apricots, then use the following recipe:
Prepare syrup from 500 g of water and 200 g of sugar and cool it. Place the prepared apricots, cut into halves, into a suitable container for freezing and fill them with the cooled syrup. Then close the container with a lid and place it in the freezer. In this form, apricot preparation can be stored even longer than any canned food, and after defrosting, the apricots will look like almost fresh fruit.
Conclusion
As you can see, apricots in syrup can be made to suit every taste, so any housewife should have a similar preparation in her home.
