What's Cookin': Zucchini Bread & Apricot Jam

Sorry this is not a sexy picture. And yes, it's half eaten. My sister helped. :P

My brother's girlfriend's sweet and always smiling mama asked if I could share my recipes for zucchini bread & apricot jam, as she is also drowning in produce. Because it's southern California and that's what happens in June. By July we are sick of produce! Haha. So here are the recipes for her, and anyone else who would like them!

The zucchini bread recipe is from my mom, who made it my entire childhood and we're all kind of attached to it. The apricot jam recipe is just from the little insert that comes with the liquid pectin.

I made a few modifications to the bread and the jam, so I will post the recipes as they read, and then give you my notes at the end.

Zucchini Bread
3 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 C olive oil
3 C shredded zucchini
3 C raisins
1 C chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350*. Whisk together first 6 ingredients. in another bowl beat together the eggs, vanilla, and oil. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour the wet mixture over the flour mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake 50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

You could also divide the batter into lined or greased & floured muffin tins and bake about 25 minutes. 

~ This time around I used 2 C AP flour and one cup of whole wheat. I think I might use 2 cups whole wheat next time. I also only used 1 cup of sugar, as well as only used 1/2 C olive oil and used apple sauce for the other half cup. (Did you know you can use apple sauce in place of the oil in most baked goods? Some things turn out a bit denser, and some don't, but either way it's very tasty!)  

Apricot Jam - makes 7 cups (I got 5 half pints, see my notes)
3 1/2 C finely chopped apricots (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
5 3/4 C sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin

Wash your jars and boil them in your water bath canner to sterilize. Place lids in a saucepan. Leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill. (I just turn them down to simmer after about 10 minutes of boiling.) Ladle enough of the boiling water onto your lids to cover them.

Add chopped apricots, sugar and lemon juice to a heavy, 6-7 quart pot and bring to a full rolling boil (one that won't stir down), while stirring. Add liquid pectin, return to rolling boil and boil for 1 minute.

Ladle jam into hot jars to within an 1/8th inch head space. Lid and band them, tightening bands to fingertip tight. Process 10 minutes.

~ I have this little naughty voice in my head that says it's really wrong to put more sugar than fruit into a recipe. I'm a terrible person. So I only used 3 cups of sugar, and that's why I only got 5 half pints. I know that this means my jam will probably not set, especially since apricots are particularly low in natural pectin. Shame on me. I guess I'll just have very tasty apricot syrup! :)

When I finally get around to making strawberry and boysenberry jam (hopefully this week, if I can get to the store and get more pectin), I will post the recipe for those as well!

** Ok funny story before I go. Ben left when I was starting this post to go hang out with one of his buddies. I needed a picture of the zucchini bread for the post and since the lighting in the kitchen was giving me a yellow tinge, I decided I would go out into the garage where there is better lighting... Well while I was standing there the garage starts opening and I freeze, holding my camera (he had forgotten something and came back to get it). He hops out of the truck, starts laughing and asks me what on earth I'm doing.

*ahem* I am NOT taking pictures of the zucchini bread on the washer.... You saw nothing. Get back in your truck... (now I feel really weird!)


Happy Eating,
Meg

P.S. For those of you who go to the recipe page, I am working on relinking everything and redoing the list since it all broke when I changed the blog name. Please be patient with me as I (slowly) try to get it all back to normal. :)