How to Make Balsamic Pickled Apricots; Canning

Marie Overton
Jul 7, 2021
2 min read

Updated: Aug 9

My family tends to enjoy the sweet side of canning a little more so when a friend shared this recipe for balsamic pickled apricots with me I have to admit I was a little skeptical. I still wouldn’t just eat these straight out of a jar but on a baguette, it is very tasty. If you are a fan of balsamic vinegar, you will love these. The vinegar is the base flavor with the sweetness of the grape juice and apricots mellowing the taste and adding to the flavor.

Ingredients:

Makes: 5 half-pints

1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
½ Cup 100% Grape Juice
½ Cup Honey
½ Cup Water
2 3-inch sticks of Cinnamon
6 Whole Cloves
2 pounds Ripe Apricots

Preparation:

Prepare your boiling water bath canner by filling it about halfway full with water and place it on the stove on medium heat.

Make the Balsamic Pickled Apricots Syrup:

Hands hold a small bowl of cloves over a pot with dark liquid, cinnamon sticks visible. The setting is a speckled countertop.

In a medium stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy saucepan combine vinegar, juice, honey, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Hands slicing an apricot on a wooden cutting board, surrounded by empty jars on a speckled countertop, creating a kitchen prep scene.

Cut each apricot in half and remove the pit. Cut each half in half again to make apricot quarters. Pack apricots into hot half-pint canning jars, leaving a ½ inch headspace.

Hand stirs dark liquid with a wooden spatula in a steaming pot, with cinnamon sticks visible. The scene is warm and kitchen-like.

Using a jar funnel, pour hot syrup through a strainer over apricots, and leave ½ inch of headspace.

A person is preparing jars of sliced peaches in syrup on a granite countertop, using a stick to pack them. Floral mug in background.

De-bubble the jars with a wooden chopstick to release any trapped air bubbles. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands finger-tip tight.

Process the Jars of Pickled Apricots:

Place the filled jars into the boiling water bath canner. Make sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 to 2 inches. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover the water canner and bring water to a rolling boil. Process half-pint jars for 10 minutes. Adjusting processing time for your altitude.

If you are unsure how to use a water bath canner, check out my canning basics video.

Once the jars are done processing turn off the heat and remove the cover and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the jars from the water bath and place them spaced out on a towel on the counter. Cool for 24 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars.