Just like Grandma's

Grandma with Ethan when he was about 6 months old! This blog made me realize I need more pictures of my grandma!

I don't think there is a stronger flavor association for me of my grandma than apricot jam. There are lots of other delicious things I could think of, but apricot jam spans all seasons. It makes a welcomed Christmas gift and is the perfect topping for her hot homemade rolls at every family gathering. So when the large apricot tree starting dropping fresh apricots in my yard, I thought I'd try my hand at apricot jam; and all on my own this time.

And from tree to jar, it was a four hour process! I climbed a ladder and shook various fruit laddened branches of this mammoth tree.

Ethan was on pick up duty and quickly gathered the dropped apricots into the buckets. We had 2 buckets full, which was more than we needed for jam alone. We ended up freezing 3 ziplocks full for crisps/crumbles when fruit is not available.

Elli was my quality control, taking bites out of a good portion of the apricots we used. Poor girl still has runny stool because of it.

As this was my first canning experience on my own, I quickly realized that this pot is not big enough for a double batch. It overflowed all over my stove top. I'll be looking for a bigger pot in the capitol next week!

As you may remember, Ethan loves to tell Grandma jokes and stories. So what fun to be able to work together making Grandma's apricot jam. And the last two mornings, it has even been chosen over the strawberry jam to add to our homemade yogurt!