Of course anything that includes butter in the title has garnered my attention, this apricot butter however does not actually contain butter. That certainly does not take away from it’s awesomeness!
I have been making fruit butters for ages and ages. I adore apple butter, pear butter with some soft cheeses, pumpkin apple spice butter every fall! When I dove into my copy of ‘Nourishing Traditions’ years ago, the apricot butter stuck out to me. I knew I’d have to make it. This particular apricot butter was so completely different from all the other apricot butters I had ever tried prior. It had a slight tang and bite to it, with an edge of saltiness. Sounds odd, right?! Let me tell you though, it is no less addicting than the sweet butters, in fact it may be even more so. Since it is a fermented food it causes your body to crave it in a whole new way. When you consume this apricot butter you will be getting a probiotic and enzymatic effect and that is what will keep you coming back for more. In my opinion it is a must try recipe!
The cool thing is you can use this recipe to make any kind of fruit butter. What I love about apricots is their wonderful nutrient profile. They are highly prized by the Hunza tribe that live in the mountain peaks of the Himalayas in northwest Pakistan. They are also known for their exceptional health and longevity. One of their favorite foods and dietary mainstays is the apricot and for good reason. Apricots are rich in many vitamins and minerals. Their mineral content boasts of moderate amounts of magnesium as well as manganese, calcium, iron, phosphorous, zinc and selenium and higher amounts of potassium. Moderate but significant amounts of B-group vitamins like thiamine, riboflavine, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folic acid that are essential for the body, along with betacarotene and antioxidant that helps prevent cancer are also available in apricots. I suspect the Hunzas apricot trees were planted firmly in excellent mineral rich soil as well as nourished by mineral rich waters, thus making these jewels of a fruit highly prized. The best apricots to find today would be dried Turkish apricots that are unsulphured.
This recipe comes to you from Sally Fallon’s ‘Nourishing Traditions’. If you don’t own this book yet, do yourself a favor and get a copy! Variations on this recipe can be made with dried apples or pears. I am working on a fermented version of pumpkin apple butter too! So feel free to get creative!
Apricot Butter
Makes 2 quarts
4 cups unsulphured dried apricots
1 Tablespoon of sea salt
1/4 cup of whey, or more salt (I used about 2 teaspoons)
1/4-1/2 cup raw honey
Cook apricots in filtered water until soft. Let slightly and transfer with a slotted spoon to food processor. Process with remaining ingredients. Taste for sweetness and add more honey if necessary. Place in a quart sized wide mouth mason jar. You may have more than a quart, as I always do, so have a pint jar available as well. The apricot butter should be at least 1 inch below the tops of the jars. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days before transferring to the refrigerator. This should be eaten within 2 months. I serve mine with coconut flour pancakes and kefired cream! Delish!
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Have you tried making this from fresh fruit? Wondered if I could miss the first step (drying fruit) out. Am trying fermented lemons for the first time at the moment. Love the idea of fermenting fruit, just haven’t mastered it yet.
Hi Shelley,
Yes, you can make it with fresh fruit – though it may ferment slightly differently due to all the juices. I have fermented fresh fruit before and it just needs to be monitored and eaten within a couple of months.
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