Vanilla Scented Sour Apricot Preserves

• 16 cups washed and pitted fresh apricots
• 4 cups sugar (I used unbleached)
• 2 vanilla beans, halved
• 1 lemon, juiced

1. Place a large heavy bottomed jar on the stove and add the apricots.
2. Turn heat on to medium and add the lemon juice to the pot.
3. Add the halved vanilla beans.
4. Add the sugar and scoop up the apricots from the bottom several times to make sure the sugar gets all over the fruit.
5. Bring the apricots to a slow bubbly boil, stirring occasionally so that none sticks to the bottom and burns and then reduce heat and cook until the apricots break down completely and the preserves thicken -this can take up to 1 hour.
6. Place canning jars into a dish washer and run it. Boil the lids, completely covered with water in another pot on the stove.
7. Carefully remove the vanilla beans and scrape any remaining paste into the jam pot. Stir well. You should see the little black specs of the vanilla in well incorporated into the preserves.
8. You are now ready to place these into the cleaned, warm jars. Once they have the lid on them I use my steam canner to preserve but some folks just immerse the whole jar into a large pot of boiling water and process for 20 minutes. Remove and turn upside down on a clean dish towel.

apricots, sugar, vanilla beans, lemon

Taken from food52.com/recipes/11453-vanilla-scented-sour-apricot-preserves (may not work)