Christine Ferber's Apricot and Mountain Honey Jam~

Sur un "kick"  comme on dit.. en Français au Québec:)..sur un kick de petites quantités de confitures~
A la C Ferber..
It simply means I have a crush on making small quantities of C Ferber's jams ...these days..
This time it was Apricot..
Now ..she speaks of Mountain Honey..and ..I was told by a doctor ..that eating honey that is made the closest to where you live is the healthiest honey for you..
So I used my apiculteur's honey..not mountain honey..

You may remember him?

We love his honey.. our grocery store carries it also..not the candles..not the beeswax.. but the  honey..
The jam turned the rich amber color she said it would nevertheless..

Please see with your mind's eye.. an n in MouNtain honey..I noticed my typo way too late to change..:)  This is a Blooper:)~
I had a certain amount of apricots as I had bought one container at the market..Jacques adjusted the recipe for my quantity and it made one medium sized Crown vintage jar.I like the glass tops on these things..not to mention the large crown emblem on the front.
I have another vinatge jar I will use soon..Canadian Made it says..So cute..

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La Recette~

2 1/2 lbs Bergeron Apricots(mine were just called apricots)
3 cups granulated sugar
7 ounces Mountain Honey..mine was local
7 ounces water
Juice of 2 small lemons

Rinse the apricots in cold water.Cut them in half and pit.Mix the apricots sugar water honey and lemon juice
in a ceramic bowl.Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.
Pour the contents of the bowl into  a preserving pan and bring to a simmer.Pour back into the bowl..cover and refri. overnight.
Next day pour this mixture into a sieve.Bring the accumulated syrup to a boil.Skim and continue cooking on high heat .The syrup will be sufficiently concentrated at 221F on a candy thermometer..Add the apricot  halves..Boil for 5 minutes stirring gently..Skim carefully.Check the set.
Put the jam into jars immediately and seal

**My previous recipe mentioned I oven sterilize my jars.

**This jam is thicker than the Strawberry one I made I am sure due to the honey..





Speaking of Honey.. bees~

Echinops attract bees by the multitude:)

It is not unusual to see 5 or 6 at once on each globe~

Mine reach high to the sky..so it is sometimes difficult to capture them in flight~
In arrangements..they look great..in stand alone..they are.. quite that..stand alone..unique ..and quite modern~

I like them..they bloom ap same time as purple coneflowers(echinacea) and lythrum..lovely colors together~ Phlox too!
I have been enjoying..  some days at the beach w/ my 4 grandsons and their moms..
Watching swimming lessons.. amazing how fearless 3 yr olds are..no water wings ..nothing..such trusting little children with their lifeguard coaches..:)

The gardens.. quick jaunts to the flea market..preserving..
And Carol's online  demos..
Sometimes I use my little boxes and sometimes I pull out an ancient palette box.. An art teacher..an illustrious art teacher I had  for 3 too short lessons..Suggested which paints to put and use for his classes~
How I wish I had taken more lessons with him.
He was extraordinary..

Feels like 100 yrs ago..

Back to Carol.. she speaks so highly of  one of her teachers also:)

Over 5 million 500 views..her blog has..not surprised!

LOVE it.

Every once in a while she gives DIYs...(demos...)
I am hooked..

Posting early so you can enjoy trying this weekend~Either  Carol's demo.. or Christine's jam~

Obviously I am sharing one of the ones I traced correctly..but not really correctly....in our closet on my Acer Aspire..
Sometimes you ahve to do them more than once to get anything similar..
And of course what is always missing is her unique style..her ease and knowledge of art..But I find it is teaching me to pay attention to shadows..  to try and leave some white..and to sketch ..Colors..
I get excited when I see.. Demo..
Mind you I have been a follower for a long time and every post is interesting.. and fun..
Thank you so much Carol~

I prepared this post prior to tracing on my Nexus..I just couldn't find the right app to allow me to trace w/out Toggling..stretching etc..I installed many apps..not all great.. until Wednesday night  11PM I found the right app.
It lets you open a photo on my tablet..then it freezes it for drawing purposes..the others still moved it.
So although now I would love to have a back camera on my Nexus..at least I can trace.. after taking a terrible front facing pic mind you..
I know the new one has a back camera..but what were they thinking w/ the original Nexus 7?How on earth can you take a great pic w/ the camera facing the front when you are at the back with no viewfinder..Oh lala.
Must admit when I bought it last yr..I never thought I would want to take a pic with it~
Stubborn though..I will probably have it as long as my  at least 15 yr old cell phone..
Have a great day today..tomorrow and..
Bon Weekend~!
I'll be posting a Blueberry Christine Ferber jam next week..also very good!