Dried-Apricot And Pineapple Jam Recipe

The day before you plan to make jam, cut dried apricots into quarters and place in a large bowl. Cover with 2 quarts of water and allow to soak at room temperature, covered, overnight. When ready to make jam, drain apricots through a colander reserving 1/4 cup of soaking liquid. You should have about 4 cups of plumped fruit. Prepare boiling water canner. Sterilize 11 half-pint jars by boiling them for ten minutes. Wash jar lids and rings and bring to a simmer in a separate, small saucepan of water. Turn off heat and allow jars, lids and rings to sit in hot water until you need them. Using a serrated knife, trim skin from pineapple and cut fruit into a small dice. Measure 4 cups of diced pineapple, reserving any excess for snacking. In a large, nonreactive pot, combine apricots, reserved soaking liquid, and pineapple. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir to begin breaking apricots down. Reduce heat, cover and cook over medium heat to continue softening the fruit, about 5 minutes. At this point, your mixture will be quite chunky as the dried fruit is not as yielding as fresh. Use an immersion blender to break mixture down to your desired consistency. Return the mixture to a boil and add sugar, lemon juice, and pectin, stirring to dissolve. Boil for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until the mixture registers 220°F on a candy or instant read thermometer. Turn off heat and skim any foam with a spoon. Ladle jam into prepared jars, leaving a quarter inch of head space. Wipe the rims of the jar lids with a clean kitchen or paper towel and seal. Place the sealed jars back into the canning kettle. When all jars are added, make sure that the water level clears the jar lids by at least one inch. Add more water if necessary, and, over high heat, bring the water back up to a boil. Once the water boils, set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off heat, and allow jars to sit in water for 5 additional minutes. Then, using a jar lifter, remove the jars to a cooling rack. Once jar