One Jar of Apricot Easy Jam

Making jam doesn’t require a ton of fruit or standing over a stove and constantly checking the temperature. If you have a handful of apricots, a little sugar, and a lemon, you’ve got the makings of casual jam. No canning is necessary, because it’s one jar; maybe it will last you through a baguette and a few bowlfuls of yogurt. This is a low-sugar recipe with no added pectin. Lemon juice — more than a jammer might expect to add — makes it bright and helps it set. The process is easy, but it is a slow method (though with very little active cooking time), bringing out the natural pectin and resulting in a lush, rustic texture. Over the course of a day, you alternately macerate and cook the fruit. Let the fruit macerate with the sugar and lemon juice for a few hours, bring the mixture to a boil, cool, cover, macerate (walk the dog, or read a book); repeat; and repeat.