Sift flour with baking soda; set aside. Cook apricots with water, sugar, shortening, spices and salt for 5 minutes. Cool apricot mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add eggs to sifted dry ingredients to cooled apricot mixture. Pour mixture into 2 greased 5x9 inch loaf pans. Bake in oven for 1hour. Makes 2 loaves.