Apricot Quick Jam

I don’t typically crave jam. But in the summer, with delicious ripe fruit and berries, it’s more appealing. Right before traveling to Europe, our entire apricot tree ripened at once. Totally serious, the whole tree! I made some coconut-apricot bars using my raspberry-coconut oatmeal bar recipe if you check out my Instagram feed you will see those beauties, but the rest I made into apricot quick jam.

Quick jam is a fresh jam that does not go through the sterilization/preserving process. The way I see it, it’s the CliffNotes of the jam world. My grandmother spent all summer sterilizing and making jam that could last all year.  I know myself too well: I am far too impatient, opting for an easier apricot quick jam instead.

I have always thought the jam world was a bit confusing. There is jam, quick jam, jelly, and marmalade, but honestly, what’s the difference? Here’s the breakdown:

• Jam:  Always made from whole or cut fruit, slowly cooked with sugar into a pulp-like mixture until it has a thick, spreadable consistency. Jam, when cooked properly, can be placed in sterilized jars and properly preserved for months.
• Quick Jam: Whole or cut fruit cooked with sugar just like regular jam, but it does not go through the sterilization and canning process and thus only keeps, refrigerated, for 2-3 weeks.
• Jelly: Made using only fruit juice and sugar. This is a more complicated method as the fruit must be cooked first, then strained through cheesecloth to collect the clear liquid. This can take some time; if you try to rush it, the result can appear cloudy.
• Marmalade: Similar to jam but only made from bitter Seville oranges from Portugal.

Apricot quick jam (or any other type of quick jam) is a great way to make fresh, delicious jam anytime without too much effort. If you are a jam fan who has never tried making the quick version, I encourage you to try, it could not be easier. I swirled some apricot quick-jam in a bowl of overnight oats one morning and it was out-of-this-world delicious.