I am fairly certain that we pretty much always had jam in the house when I was growing up. And the majority of the time, it was apricot jam – which was my favourite. It’s probably still my favourite. I now also love strawberry, fig, blueberry and peach jam. But apricot jam will always remind me of my childhood days eating fat slices of 7/11 bread (my mom always bought it unsliced) with lots of butter and even more apricot jam. Sometimes with grated cheddar too, but mostly just jam. On weekends we often got ciabatta bread, which was a treat. The crusty, chewy, fancy bread elevated my everyday jam sandwich to what I considered a rather gourmet plate of food.

For a long time I didn’t eat jam. I cut bread out of my diet over 10 years ago, but even when I started on a low carb diet filled with various delicious homemade low carb breads, I for some reason didn’t think to make jam. I quite honestly don’t have an excuse. It simply dawned on me a few months ago that I should try make a low carb jam. So I did. And my mind was blown. And I am shocked that it took me about 5 years to even attempt it!

My first jam was a blueberry jam – and the recipe is already on my blog – and then I made my favourite (apricot) jam. I made it again. And again. And then again, only a much, much larger batch that I have been lathering on everything from bread to muffins to rice pudding to a yogurt topping. And I simply love it. The blueberry jam came about from a blueberry sauce that I made for a stack of breakfast flapjacks. I adapted the recipe from https://ketodietapp.com for berry sauce – using glucomannan powder in place of chia seeds for a smoother consistency. That sauce was such a success, and that was how I thought of making jam – by adding more glucomannan powder and then letting the jam set in the fridge. 

So, here it is, my apricot jam recipe. Which, I must add as we are approaching the festive season, will make a fantastic gift and I am likely going to give a jar to my mother with a few other homemade goodies for Christmas.

Apricot Jam

Ingredients

• 700g Apricots (weight when pips are removed)
• 6 Tbsp Erythritol-Stevia Blend (or Xylitol)
• A pinch or two of Maldon sea salt flakes
• 3 tsp Glucomannan Powder
• 21 Tbsp (310ml) Water
• 3 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Method

In a medium stainless steel pot on low heat:

• Heat the fruit with the sweetener and salt until it starts to soften and the juices seep out. Squash the fruit so more juice is released.
• Pour 1 cup of water into the pot and stir.
• Pour the rest of the water into a ramekin and stir in the glucomannan powder.
• Immediately pour into the pot and stir quickly to avoid glucomannan clumps.
• As soon as it starts to thicken, turn the heat off.
• Stir in the vinegar and pour jam into glass jars.
• Allow to cool, then refrigerate.

This recipe made 4 small jars for me which I have kept in the fridge for nearly a month (I am currently on the last jar) and it still tastes fantastic!