Apricot Vanilla Bean Jam

After my strawberry jam success I though I would try apricot, which is one of my favorite jams for English Muffins.  Sometimes, I am not the best cook though, as you will see by a later picture, so this is going to be a bit more like a fruit spread than a jam. 

 I only made a third of a batch because the apricots were not on sale, and I could only find so many that were fresh.  It smelled lovely though!  This was my first time working with vanilla bean pods.  The smell was grand.  I am going to have to see if I can grow vanilla beans though because they are expensive in the store!  At this point in the recipe we were doing great, we had to use lemon juice instead of white wine because our house is just not really a great place to find wine. 

 It was when I removed the fruit to boil down the syrup that things went a little crazy!  I got distracted and didn't make it back into the kitchen fast enough......it did NOT smell good.  So I ditched that pan and let it start soaking, put the apricots and the little bit of syrup I had left back in the pan and cooked it a bit more.  Then spooned it into the jars, and water bathed them.  I was expecting twice as much but these two little jars are a good start.  I will have to keep an eye out for fresh apricots and try again! 

Recipe was from Canning for a New Generation again.

I used my Weck jars again as well, and was quite happy with how easy it is!  I also love that the lids are glass as well!