Canned British Apricots

 I've been teaching a friend preserving and this week we got to can some apricots!

I just realised I didn't do a post about the cherries they grow so will have to do one soon, but these guys are expert fruit growers and as well as growing cherries they also grow apricots. But some of these had proved to be a bit like avocados to ripen. They were either on the tree hard as bullets or on the floor. For me it was a massive first, I don't think I've had many British Apricots let alone seen enough to do some preserving with! 

But we had loads of apricots to prepare, luckily they're far quicker to process than cherries!

In the end we did enough for 18 cans of apricots (and they all sealed!). We decided that because some we quite sharp we would do them in a heavy syrup (equal sugar to water). 

Also we managed to process enough to fill the dehydrator. 

My friend Lauren is great fun and we spent the whole evening laughing, I think she is possibly madder than me so we get along great. It's funny one of my other friends that I do lots of preserving with text (jokingly I hope) to say she felt I'd cheated on her! 

I don't think I've ever made a more beautiful preserve. They look like jewels in the jars ready to go on up on the shelf. I can't wait to try some of these in the winter! 

What's the most exotic fruit you've preserved?