I’ll be honest, I am more of a relish-maker than a jam-maker, but I’ve finally found the knack. This Plum Jam recipe is super easy and most delicious! Yes, it’s plum season again.
I have a wonderful plum tree that has been grafted over time to grow three different varieties of plums. I haven’t had a chance to identify them all, but they’re always juicy and red fleshed, and always ripen just about now!
Jam, without using setting agents (like added pectin or jam-setting sugar) or a thermometer has always been a bit tricky in the past for me, at least. Batches have tended to be a bit ‘hit or miss’ when it cane to jam consistency so I was determined to conquer the jam making process just like my grandmother would have. The knack, I found was: after adding the sugar, don’t be afraid of returning the heat to a rapid boil, stirring regularly. Yes, do a ‘droplet on a ice cold saucer you’ve kept in the freezer’ to see it skim over the top as it cools, but for me even that instruction wasn’t fool proof. I’ve found it’s not the ‘skimming over’ that gives you a good indication that it’s ready, but that fact that it doesn’t roll off the saucer when you hold it vertically and stays put. When stirring too, you can feel it thicken up and there’s a definite change as you head towards the finish line.
Plum jam is a great breakfast condiment to have in your pantry – if not devoured on hot buttered toast, add a spoonful to your next banana smoothie or unsweetened yoghurt, or have fun baking with it.
If you have runny jam, despite all good intentions, try labeling it as ‘marinade’ or ‘dessert sauce’. That’s what I’ve done in the past and it is delicious dolloped into a stir fry or drizzled over ice cream.
Plum Jam
Ingredients:
- 1.5kg ripe plums
- 1 cup water
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1kg white sugar
Method:
- Wash the plums and discard any debris. Cut in half and remove the stones (you can leave them whole and remove them later, but I like to remove them now in case there is any insect that may have burrowed in deep)! Cut into quarters, then throw them in a pot.
- Add water and lemon juice. Heat to a light boil and simmer, stirring occasionally so nothing ‘sticks’ to the bottom of the saucepan. Cook until the plums break down and are soft. This is around 60 minutes, although it will depend on heat, the ripeness of the plums etc.
- Add sugar and stir well until it has dissolved. Turn up the heat and keep at a rapid boil, stirring every now and then, until it thickens and passes the ‘saucer’ test (see hint above in my notes).
- Thick frothy scum may appear on top of the jam which you can spoon off while it’s cooking.
- Pour into hot sterlised jars, wipe the lip of the jars, then screw on the lids. All going well, as it starts to cool down you’ll see it thicken before your eyes into the jam consistency you’ll have been anticipating.
