Instructions

1. 1

   Sterilise five 250 ml screw-top jars and their matching lids in vigorously boiling water, then leave them to drain on a clean cloth.

2. 2

   Wash the apricots, halve them, take out the stones and cut the flesh into small cubes.

3. 3

   Squeeze the lemon. Slit the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds.

4. 4

   Mix the diced apricots with the lemon juice, the vanilla seeds and the preserving sugar in a tall pan and leave them covered in a cool place until the fruit has drawn juice.

5. 5

   If you like, purée the mixture briefly with a stick blender, or leave it as it is for a chunky jam.

6. 6

   Bring everything to the boil while stirring and let it boil hard, skimming off the foam.

7. 7

   For the setting test, put a teaspoon of jam on a cold plate; if it firms up quickly, it is ready, otherwise bring it back to the boil briefly.

8. 8

   Fill the hot jam right up to the rim of the prepared jars, seal them at once and stand them on their lids.

9. 9

   Turn the jars the right way up again and leave them to cool completely.