Apricots are low pectin and low acid, so even reaching the jell point you're going to find the preserve tends to be syrupy. There's only so much pectin there to work with. You can amend the preserve by using apple pectin stock or by adding high-pectin products like citrus, but apricots are delicate and the purity of the apricot flavor will probably be subsumed. The peach preserves in Ferber's book are fabulous and it's the same thing - syrupy even at the jell point. But the flavor is unequalled, so I accept it. You can "assist" the set by using the old-fashioned strategy of 25% underripe fruit. The less ripe the more pectin so preserves with a measure of underripe fruit will set better. As fruit ripens the cell walls collapse, and that's where the pectin is (mainly). However, in a true preserve with larger pieces of fruit suspended in syrup I wouldn't use really underripe apricots because biting into one wouldn't be the most pleasant experience. I'd go for ripe and full-flavored, but on the firmer end. Dead-ripe and you're set for failure. (No pun intended, LOL.) Carol

I bought her book but haven't looked seriously at it barring the introduction and the oven method. I see the risk of the oven method with full-sugar traditional preserves as one of jar breakage, not safety. Jams are inherently safe; processing is meant to extend shelf life and prevent mold, not because they're prone to risky forms of spoilage. The exceptions would be such low-acid fruits as figs, mangoes and cantaloupe. And while there is risk with those if the levels of added acid are insufficient, I'm guessing it's quite low because to set a preserve you have to cook to about 68% sugar; at that level any remaining water is pretty well bound up by the sugar, which discourages the growth of micro-organisms. In the case of peaches and cherries, I see no risk unless a preserver is really really determined to make peach-cherry slop. Both fruits are naturally low in pectin at the firm-ripe level. At its optimum this will be a loosely set preserve. With dead-ripe fruit it won't set; you could firm it up by cooking it to death, essentially boiling out the water and evaporating into a viscous taffy, but it wouldn't be a gel. So purely hypothetically if you used dead-ripe windfall fruit (i.e. bruised - which also raises pH) you might have a risk, but it would be miniscule. If it disturbs your comfort level, though, you could always add a pinch or two of powdered citric acid, ascorbic acid (which would assist in preservation of the light color), or some of the acid blend wineshops sell. That wouldn't change the liquid ratio and could also be beneficial to cut some of the sweetness. The best resource I know of to explore issues of pH and the properties of preserves of all types is The Jamlady Cookbook. She has a scientific bent and tells you everything the layperson might want to know about the art of jam-making. Carol

Hello Helen, That sounds wonderful. Even with the cup of chestnuts I cannot imagine there'd be a problem canning with all those fruits, juices and the red wine. When the recipe says, "sugar and acid" is it referring to the natural fruit sugars or is sugar a missing element in the recipe? How is this generally served? As a condiment with meats? Autumn Fruit Jam 2 plums sliced 2 med apples, peeled, cored and chopped 2 med pears, peeled, cored and chopped 1 cup (250 ml) water 2 tsp (10ml) grated lemon rind 2 tbsp (25ml) lemon juice 3 cups (750ml) sugar 1/2 tsp (2ml) each ground cinnamon and ginger Combine plums, apples, pears, water, lemon rind and lemon juice in a large stainless steel or enamel pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat and cook for 10 mins or until fruit is softened. Add sugar to fruit and return to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Boil rapidly, uncovered, until mixture will form a gel, about 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir in cinnamon and ginger. Ladle into sterilized jars and process for 15 mins in a boiling water bath. Makes 4 cups (1L) And another: Fall Fruit Jam Categories: Jam/jelly, Preserves, Fruits Yield: 3 Pints 4 c Peaches, chopped and peeled 4 c Pears,chopped and peeled 1 c Apples, chopped and peeled 1/4 c Lemon juice 5 c Sugar Approx. Cook Time: 60mn Combine fruit and cook slowly until tender, about 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and sugar. Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Boil to jam stage (104C), about 15 minutes. When jam stage is reached, remove from heat. Stir and skim 5 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars; cool and seal. Makes about 6 - 8oz jars. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Source: Canadian Living Carol

Hey--welcome to jamming! I think you'll find it very fun (I have so much fun with new recipes that I have more jam than fam can eat right now). Check out the discussion I linked below--it has a lot of the info you're curious about. As far as I can tell, the recipes look ok. It does seem like a lot of sugar for that amount of peaches and a no-sug pectin, but I'm not familiar with Ball brand, preferring Pomona's myself. My peach recipes are generally 1-1 1/2c per 4lbs peaches. And, I generally add liqueur to most all my jams too. There's also a more recent thread called confused about pectin that discusses some interesting things you might like. Here is a link that might be useful: Jam Discussion