How to Can Apricots

Fresh apricots can spoil quickly, so if you have many apricots, you might want to consider long-term storage. Canning is a method you can use to store apricots, and when done right, you can store apricots for about a year before noticing any decline in quality. You may can apricots using either the hot pack or cold pack (raw pack) canning technique. Keep reading to learn how to prepare this fruit using both methods.

EditIngredients

Makes 9 pint-sized (4.25 L) jars

• 10 lb (4.5 kg) ripe apricots
• 1 qt (1 L) water
• 2 to 3 cups (500 to 750 ml) sugar OR 1.5 to 2 cups (375 to 500 ml) honey
• Diluted lemon juice (optional)

EditSteps

EditHot Pack

1. Create a syrup for the apricots. Use honey or sugar to create a light to medium syrup to preserve the apricots inside the can.^[1]
   
   • For every 1 qt (1 L) of water, add 2 cups (500 ml) sugar for a light syrup or 3 cups (750 ml) for a medium syrup.
   • If using honey, for every 1 qt (1 L) of water, add 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) honey for a light syrup or 2 cups (500 ml) for a medium syrup.
   • Boil the sweetener and water together in a saucepan until the sugar or honey dissolves. Then reduce the syrup to a low heat, keeping it at a simmer.
   • Alternatively, you could also use apple juice or white grape juice instead of a syrup.
2. Remove the skins. Quickly remove the skins by blanching the fruit in boiling water.
   
   • Boil water in a medium saucepan.
   • Dunk the apricots in the boiling water for 2 minutes.
   • Immediately transfer the apricots to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
   • Slip the skins off with your fingers.
3. Slice the apricots and immediately dunk them in the syrup. Use a kitchen knife to cut each apricot in half. Remove the pits, and if desired, cut the apricots into serving-size slices. Place them directly in the still-simmering syrup to prevent them from discoloring or darkening.
   
   • Once the apricots are inside the syrup, let them continue simmering until heated through. Give it 2 to 4 minutes to do so.
   • You will need 16 lb (7.2 kg) of fruit to create 7 qt (7 L) of canned fruit. For 9 pints (4.25 L), you will need about 10 lb (4.5 kg).
4. Pack the jars with the apricots. Ladle the apricots and syrup into each jar, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of empty headspace at that top of each jar. Screw on the lids, making sure that they are as tight as possible.
   
   • Place the fruit inside the jars cut-side-down, if possible, so more fruit will fit inside each jar.
   • As the apricots undergo the canning process, the contents of the jar will expand. If you do not leave enough headspace at the top of the jar, the lid may not seal properly or the glass may even break.
   • Make sure the jars are clean and sanitized before use. The lids should also be clean and sterilized.
5. Process the cans. Use canning tongs to lower each jar into your canner carefully. Make sure the jars do not clink together as you arrange them, since doing so can cause the glass to break. You can use a boiling-water canner, dial-gauge pressure canner, or weighted-gauge pressure canner, but the amount of processing time will vary depending on which method you use.^[2]
   
   • For boiling-water canners:
     • Pints should be processed for 20 minutes at altitudes between 0 and 1000 feet (0 to 305 m), 25 minutes between 1001 and 3000 feet (305 to 915 m), 30 minutes at altitudes between 3001 and 6000 feet (915 to 1830 m), and 35 minutes above 6000 feet (1830 m).
     • Quarts should be processed for 25 minutes at altitudes between 0 and 1000 feet (0 to 305 m), 30 minutes between 1001 and 3000 feet (305 to 915 m), 35 minutes at altitudes between 3001 and 6000 feet (915 to 1830 m), and 40 minutes above 6000 feet (1830 m).
   • When using a dial-gauged pressure canner, process both pints and quarts for 10 minutes. Use a pressure of 6 PSI for altitudes between 0 and 2000 feet (0 and 610 m), 7 PSI between 2001 and 4000 feet (610 and 1220 m), 8 PSI between 4001 and 6000 feet (1220 and 1830 m), and 9 PSI between 6001 and 8000 feet (1830 and 2440 m).
   • When using a weighted-gauge pressure canner, process both pints and quarts for 10 minutes. Use a pressure of 5 PSI between 0 and 1000 feet (0 and 305 m) and 10 PSI for anything above 1001 feet (305 m).</ref>

EditRaw Pack

1. Create a syrup for the apricots. Use honey or sugar to create a light to medium syrup to preserve the apricots inside the can. The syrup you need to prepare for a raw pack is the same as the syrup you need to prepare for a hot pack.
   
   • For every 1 qt (1 L) of water, add 2 cups (500 ml) sugar for a light syrup or 3 cups (750 ml) for a medium syrup.
   • If using honey, for every 1 qt (1 L) of water, add 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) honey for a light syrup or 2 cups (500 ml) for a medium syrup.
   • Boil the sweetener and water together in a saucepan until the sugar or honey dissolves. After it thickens into syrup, remove it from the heat.
   • Alternatively, you could also use apple juice or white grape juice instead of a syrup.
2. Cut the apricots in half. Use a kitchen knife to cut each apricot in half. Remove the pits, and if desired, cut the apricots into serving-size slices.
   
   • You may want to consider quickly dipping each half or slice in diluted lemon juice to prevent the fruit from discoloring or darkening.
   • You will need 16 lb (7.2 kg) of fruit to create 7 qt (7 L) of canned fruit. For 9 pints (4.25 L), you will need about 10 lb (4.5 kg).
   • Note that, for the raw pack method, you will not need to remove the skins. Just make sure that each piece of fruit has been washed well under running water first.
3. Pack the jars with the apricots. Fill the jars with the apricot halves or slices, leaving about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of empty headspace at the top of each jar.
   
   • Place the fruit inside the jars cut-side-down. Doing so makes it easier to fit more fruit into each jar.
   • Make sure the jars are clean and sanitized before use. The lids should also be clean and sterilized.
4. Ladle the syrup into the jars. Pour the warm syrup over the apricot slices in the jars. Gently shake the jar from side to side to ensure that syrup makes it all the way down to the bottom, and maintain the 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of headspace at the top of the jar while filling them with syrup.
   
   • As the apricots undergo the canning process, the contents of the jar will expand. If you do not leave enough headspace at the top of the jar, the lid may not seal properly or the glass may even break.
   • Screw on the lids once the syrup is in place. Make sure they are on as tight as possible so the cans seal correctly during the canning process.
5. Process the cans. Use canning tongs to carefully lower each jar into your canner. Make sure the jars do not clink together as you arrange them, since doing so can cause the glass to break. You can use a boiling-water canner, dial-gauge pressure canner, or weighted-gauge pressure canner, but the amount of processing time will vary depending on which method you use.
   
   • Note the processing times for raw-packed canned apricots will vary from those for hot-packed apricots when using boiling-water canners, but they will not vary if using pressure canners.
   • For boiling-water canners:
     • Pints should be processed for 25 minutes at altitudes between 0 and 1000 feet (0 to 305 m), 30 minutes between 1001 and 3000 feet (305 to 915 m), 35 minutes at altitudes between 3001 and 6000 feet (915 to 1830 m), and 40 minutes above 6000 feet (1830 m).
     • Quarts should be processed for 30 minutes at altitudes between 0 and 1000 feet (0 to 305 m), 35 minutes between 1001 and 3000 feet (305 to 915 m), 40 minutes at altitudes between 3001 and 6000 feet (915 to 1830 m), and 45 minutes above 6000 feet (1830 m).
   • When using a dial-gauged pressure canner, process both pints and quarts for 10 minutes. Use a pressure of 6 PSI for altitudes between 0 and 2000 feet (0 and 610 m), 7 PSI between 2001 and 4000 feet (610 and 1220 m), 8 PSI between 4001 and 6000 feet (1220 and 1830 m), and 9 PSI between 6001 and 8000 feet (1830 and 2440 m).
   • When using a weighted-gauge pressure canner, process both pints and quarts for 10 minutes. Use a pressure of 5 PSI between 0 and 1000 feet (0 and 305 m) and 10 PSI for anything above 1001 feet (305 m).

EditTips

• Firm, bright fruit that is fully mature is ideal for canning.
• Hot packs are recommended over raw packs since they result in higher-quality fruit after you open the can.
• Store canned apricots below 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) and limit exposure to sunlight.

EditWarning

• If your canned apricots smell odd or have any mold growth once you open them, discard the food immediately. Thoroughly clean and sanitize the jar it was in before using that jar again.

EditThings You'll Need

• Saucepan
• Knife
• Glass canning jars with metal lids, pint or quart size
• Canning tongs
• Canner
• Timer

EditRelated wikiHows

• Select and Store Apricots
• Make Dried Apricot Jam
• Sun Dry Fruit
• Preserve Fruit Without Sugar

EditSources and Citations

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via Peter