Three Ways to Preserve Summer Fruits Using Apricots as an Example
Seasonal fruits in July Apricots: Apricots, also known as kajszi apricots, contain higher amounts of vitamins A, E, and C, as well as…
2022-07-06 · Munch
Seasonal fruits in July
Apricots: Apricots, also known as kajszi apricots, contain higher amounts of vitamins A, E, and C, as well as manganese, magnesium, and copper, while being extremely low in calories. Rich in antioxidants, they help protect our bodies from serious chronic diseases. Although apricot season occurs in the seventh month of the year, there are excellent ways to ensure our apricot supply throughout the entire year.
Sour cherries and sweet cherries: Although we already wrote about sour cherries and sweet cherries in our June article, thanks to the unusual weather we can still enjoy them in July.
Raspberries: The other beloved red fruit, raspberries, reaches their peak in this month. On the Itt a szezon website, you can also order Fertőd raspberries picked that same day. They're picked in the raspberry field in the morning and at your place by afternoon.
Cantaloupe: Cantaloupes ripen a bit earlier than watermelons, so in July we can find fresh, sweet Hungarian cantaloupes almost everywhere.
Jam, the old friend
Fruity food-saving ice cream
Ingredients:
- 5 kg fruit
- 800 g granulated sugar or other sweetener
Instructions:
- Apricot jam can be made with or without peeling. (of course, from a waste reduction perspective, making it without peeling is preferable) If you still want to peel the apricots, the easiest way is to blanch them, then put the apricots in cold water, so you can easily peel off their skin.
- Once done, pit the apricots, cut them into pieces, and place them in a large pot together with the sugar/sweetener.
- Then cook over low heat until the apricots completely break down and the apricot jam thickens (1-2 hours).
- Portion the jam into thoroughly cleaned canning jars, turn them upside down (10 minutes), then place in a dry steam cooker (wrap thoroughly in paper or cloth) so they cool slowly over just 1-2 days. After that, the apricot jam can go to the pantry.
Canned apricots, because life is beautifully round
Ingredients:
- 4 kg apricots
- 1.4 l water
- 1 kg sugar
- 1 package canning preservative
- 1 cinnamon stick (per jar)
- 3 cloves (per jar)
Instructions:
- Wash the apricots, pit them, and cut in half.
- Bring the water to a boil with the sugar and canning preservative.
- Meanwhile, wash the jars thoroughly and blanch them.
- Once the liquid boils, add the fruit in small batches.
- Stir it around and when it starts to bubble, you can already transfer it to the jars.
- Once the fruit is gone, bring the liquid back to a boil.
- Add a piece of cinnamon and 2-3 cloves to each jar.
- Pour the hot liquid over it, place cellophane under the lid, and immediately close the jars.
- Place in a dry steam cooker for three days.
Dried apricots, the healthy snack
Ingredients:
- 1 kg apricots
Instructions:
- For drying, it's very important to choose fully ripe apricots – a vegetable-fruit Munch is a perfect solution for this.
- Wash the apricots thoroughly, soak them for a few minutes to completely remove any dirt, then rinse them under running water.
- Then cut the apricots in half and pit them.
- Turn them inside out and push out the center of the apricot half from the inside so as much fruit flesh as possible can contact the air, as they will dry turned inside out and facing up.
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the apricot halves on it, but make sure they don't touch each other.
- Preheat the oven to the lowest possible temperature. You'll get the best results if you set it to 80 degrees.
- Place the racks at different levels in the oven, then place the baking sheets on the racks.
- Wait at least 10-12 hours for the apricots to dry completely. If using two baking sheets, swap them halfway through. If they're still slightly soft but already wrinkled, they're done.
