I've used dried apricots in a Winter Conserve and also in a double apricot butter with a mixture of fresh and dried apricots for more flavor. Some years it doesn't matter if you have fresh apricots or not because the flavor may not be sufficiently developed to be worth making into jam. The conserve was a combination of dried apricots, orange segments and grated peel, orange and lemon juices, golden raisins, crushed pineapple and toasted almonds. It was very rich and very good. I've not found sulphured apricots a problem in preserving. Obviously there's an aesthetic component as the non-sulphured tend to brown, but otherwise non-sulphured would also work well. For my taste Turkish apricots work better than California when using dried fruit for preserves. The Turkish I used were mild and sweet while the California tended to be mouth-puckeringly sharp. Carol

My raspberries have been picked and are now frozen. Because I didn't have quite enough, I also picked a few leftover blueberries and some seedless grapes I was also growing. These will all go through my Villaware food strainer and thats when they get to become a seedless jam. Recently, I saw an interesting dried berry in Costco. Its called a Goji berry and the bag mentioned it was made with some pomagranite juice the Goji berries are soaked in. Its tart, and similar to appearance to dried cranberries (Craisins). I may also add a few of these goji berries to some of the red raspberry jam, and call that a mixed berry jam. The black raspberries I have are just now ripening too, so they also get into one of the batches.

Readinglady's recipe is my favorite. This year I made a lazy jam-not-preserves version. Apricots came at a busy time, so I cut the unpeeled apricots into sixths or eighths and macerated them with the sugar and bottled lemon juice for a day. Then added the pineapple and boiled to gel point. It's not as pretty, but must have tasted ok because I left a full jar in the kitchen at work and by the next day the jar was washed and in the dish drainer. * Exported from MasterCook * Apricot Pineapple Preserves Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 3 pounds ripe apricots (large ones if possible) 1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh not bottled) lemon pips (i.e. seeds) 6 cups sugar (2 lbs. 12 1/4 oz.) 1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple Scald apricots and skin. (About 40 seconds in boiling water or less depending on ripeness.) Quarter apricots. Don't cut too small. You want discrete pieces of apricot in the syrup. This is what gives these preserves their character. Ream lemon and strain juice. Place seeds in a bag. (You can tie up seeds in cheesecloth. I usually also add any pulp left in the reamer.) Combine apricots and lemon juice. Stir in sugar. Add seeds to the pan and set mixture in the refrigerator overnight or out on the counter for a few hours. Stir occasionally to distribute undissolved sugar. When ready, place mixture in a pan on medium heat. Bring to a hard boil then simmer 10 minutes, skimming foam. Use a spatula to avoid breaking fruit. Cook another 20 minutes or so until fruit is translucent. Don't overcook. A shorter time is fine; avoid turning apricot pieces to mush. Pour mixture into a bowl and cool. Cover with a cloth and let rest overnight again. Lift apricots out with a slotted spoon and drain well in a strainer over a bowl to catch syrup. Remove and discard lemon seeds. Drain crushed pineapple separately. Be sure it is drained thoroughly. Return syrup without fruit to the pan and set over medium-high heat. Boil rapidly to jelly stage (220�) or, if desired, a bit softer. (You can also remove lemon seeds at this point; it gets a bit messy.) Stir in crushed pineapple and reheat (about 1 minute). Carefully stir in apricots and any remaining syrup. Boil 1 minute. Pull off heat and let cool 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute fruit. BWB 5 minutes. (10 min. above 1000 ft.) Description: "My own recipe, beginning with a base from Helen Witty. This recipe can be made with just apricots or peaches. - Carol (Readinglady), Harvest Forum". Yield: "7 cups" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This very old recipe from my husband's grandmother...very tried and true. Soak 1 pound of dried apricots over night and then stew until partly done Add a large can of crushed pineapple and 3 or 4 cups of sugar. Add juice and grated rind of one lemon. Cook together until thick like jam, stir often. Pour into boiled glasses and seal with parrafin. Now..some notes from me! Cut up the apricots before soaking...use just enough water to cover the apricots, and 3 cups of sugar is lots. the predominate flavor in this jam is apricots. Linda C