Recipe for Plum Jam

Recipe for Plum Jam 

I said in my last blog that I would give you the recipe for apricot jam, but on reflection and given the abundance of plums this time of year, I thought I would change the recipe. At this time of year in London plums are prolific, and are starting to ripen the further north of Britain you go. I know that there is nothing to offer by way of health benefits, but as my gran also said, “a little of what you fancy never did harm”. This sticky sweet treat is naturally rich in pectin, which makes the setting time quicker than those fruits lower in pectin. Pectin is the setting agent you need to make the jam firm. So it’s a great jam for any of you jam making novices out there. If you have them available I highly recommend you use Victoria plums, as the taste is a cut above other plums. If not, just make sure whatever plum you use for this recipe the skin and flesh is soft before you add the sugar to the jam making process.

You will need;
Large stainless steel pan (preserving pan)
Long wooden spoon
Serrated knife
Protective glasses (sometimes spits at point of boiling – safety first!)
An apron
Chopping board
Large measuring jug (can supplement with any pouring vessel – must be clean)
7 (350g jars) cleaned and sterilised jars and lids (warm in the oven for about 10 minutes before filling with the jam)

Ingredients:
1.5kg (3½ lb) plums
1.25kg (2¾ lb) granulated sugar (substitute with Xylitol – seek advice from GP for diabetes. Halve quantity to sugar)
300ml of water

Method:
Halve and stone the plums with the serrated knife on the chopping board. Then quarter each half of plum. Put the plums and water into the preserving pan. Add to a gentle heat until the fruit softens. Then bring to a simmer, this takes 15-20 minutes, make sure the fruit is quite soft.  Add the sugar to the fruit and water and stir with the wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Then turn up the heat and bring to the boil until the setting point is reached.
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You’ll know when setting point is reached by dipping a clean spoon into the pan of jam, lift it out and turn the spoon over a couple of times, then let the jam drip down from it. If the jam drops run together then setting point has been reached.

Remove from the heat. Then carefully pour into the large pouring jug. Only fill the pouring jug halfway, as it tends to drip down the side of the jug if you fill up to the top, and can make a bit of a mess when pouring into the warmed jars.

Screw on the lids firmly once the jars are filled. Best to do this with a tea towel as the jars can get quite warm once the jams been poured into them.

As the jam cools in the jars you may hear the lids popping, this is perfectly fine. Once cooled label the jams so you don’t forget what jam you’ve made. The jam will keep for around 8 months, although I’ve kept mine for longer and it still tasted great.

Happing jamming!

Julia

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