It's a common belief that it's not enough to grow a bountiful harvest of fruits and berries; you also need to be able to preserve them. The delicate fruits of the apricot tree don't keep well when fresh.
To enjoy them for as long as possible, people make compotes, jams, and candied fruits from the fruit. This article describes simple recipes for making apricot puree for the winter.
Features of making apricot puree
To make the process of preparing apricot puree for the winter easier, experienced housewives recommend:
- grind the apricot mass after preheating in a small amount of water;
- work only with ripe fruits (you can even take overripe fruits);
- To make a baby product, apricots must be peeled.
When choosing apricot puree recipes for the winter, nutritionists recommend choosing fruit prepared without added sugar. Apricots have plenty of natural sweetness, which is fully preserved in canned form. Natural puree is healthier for the body.

How to choose apricots
If you don't have fruit growing in your own garden, you'll have to go to the store or market. Apricot puree for the winter is made from ripe, sweet apricots. Firm, unripe apricots can be used for compote, but they're not suitable for other preserves.
A ripe apricot has a pinkish tan and is soft to the touch. The pit easily separates from the flesh.
Fruits for preparation should not have any signs of rot, be wrinkled or too dirty.

How to make apricot puree at home
There are several ways to process apricots, all of them simple and easy to do, even for beginners. Step-by-step instructions for making apricot puree for the winter are described below.
A simple recipe for the winter
The simplest recipe for apricot puree for the winter.
- For 1 kg of ripe, well-washed fruit, you need to prepare 150-200 g of sugar (it can be replaced with fructose) and 250 ml of water.
- The pitted fruits are cut into large pieces and covered with water in a wide, thick-walled container.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat. Cook the fruit for no more than 10 minutes.
- Rub the hot fruit mass through a sieve or mash with a pestle, or chop with a blender.
- Add sugar and heat again over heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Place into hot, clean jars and seal tightly with lids.
With apples
Having prepared apple and apricot puree for the winterA skilled housewife will not only treat her family to a delicious dish, but also enrich the menu with a healthy, vitamin-rich dessert.
Apple-apricot puree for the winter is prepared like this.
- Fruits are taken in arbitrary proportions, usually in equal parts. Apples should be sweet and soft, fully ripe. The fruit is peeled, pitted, and cut into pieces.
- The fruits are poured with cold water so that it just barely covers the mixture.
- Simmer the mixture over low heat until completely softened. This typically takes about half an hour. If the apple pieces remain hard, continue cooking.
- While still hot, the fruit is ground to a homogeneous mass using any method convenient for the housewife.
- Sugar or fructose is added based on taste. In any case, no more than 200 g of sugar per 1 kg of fruit is needed.
- Bring the mixture with sugar to a boil again. After 8 minutes, seal the finished fruit puree in jars.

Sugar free
Sugar-free apricot puree is a natural and healthy product. It's easy to make. All the steps are the same as with traditional apricot puree, except for the addition of sugar.
Since sugar is a preservative and prevents the product from spoiling, sugar-free fruit puree must be sterilized.
Sterilization involves heating the finished product, placed in jars, in boiling water or an oven at 90 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. The jars are sealed after heating.

Storage
Jars of apricot mass can be stored in the refrigerator, cellar, or cold pantry.
Glass jars and tin or plastic lids must be scalded with boiling water or baked in the oven.
Many housewives prepare "raw puree," which involves pureeing fresh fruit without cooking. This product is poured into plastic containers or plastic bottles and stored in the freezer.

How long can it be stored?
Apricot candy can be stored in a tightly sealed jar in a cellar for about a year. In the freezer, the shelf life increases to 2 years.
After opening, the product should be stored only in the refrigerator for no more than 2 weeks.
If the jar lid swells during storage, the mixture has an unpleasant odor, an unusual taste, or is moldy, do not consume the product!
In conclusion, apricots are a healthy and affordable fruit, including for baby food and dietary purposes. Even a novice can prepare these sweet fruits for the winter.











