Tooty Fruity Jam

This is a very unusual jam.  Apart from the bananas you don't even need fresh fruit. 

It's a good jam to make in winter when there is no stone fruit around.

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To convert any of these ingredients into US measurements please use this Quantity Conversion Chart.

Ingredients:

250 gm (8 ounces) dried apricots
2 cups water
1 cup crushed pineapple from the can
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup passion fruit pulp
3 cups sugar
2 cups sliced bananas

Method:

Cover apricots with the water and stand over-night.

Place undrained apricots and pineapple in a pot along with the orange juice and the passion fruit.  Simmer with lid on for 25 minutes. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Add banana and boil uncovered for about 20 minutes or until the jam sets when it is tested.  See note below regarding jam setting:

Periodically test the jam by placing a teaspoonful of the hot jam on a cold saucer.  Pop the saucer in the fridge for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes tip the saucer to one side.  If the jam wrinkles on the surface then the jam is ready for bottling.  If it doesn't wrinkle then boil for a little longer and try again.

Pour into hot sterilised jars.  Seal whilst hot.

Food Facts:

Apricots were first found growing wild in China.  They have been around for 4,000 years.  Apricots are rich in beta carotene, minerals and vitamin A plus they are a good source of fibre.

Bananas are the largest member of the herb family. Banana plants are the largest plants on earth without a woody stem.  They are thought to have originated in Malaysia but the word "banana" is African.  They are rich in dietary fibre and potassium. Ripe bananas soothe the stomach.  They have a high starch content which means they give us energy and they also work well as laxatives. they are the world's most popular fruit.  Australia neither imports or exports bananas.

Pineapples contain bromelain which is an anti bacterial enzyme that has anti inflammatory properties so it may be useful for arthritis suffers.  The pineapple is a native of Brazil and neighboring Paraguay and has been cultivated for thousands of years.  Pineapples can weigh up to 20 pounds.  More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.