Plum Jam

One of the best ways to preserve the delicious flavor of fresh, sweet summer plums is by making plum jam. My recipe for plum jam is very simple, requiring just two ingredients, sugar and fresh plums. This jam comes together so simply with just a small time commitment for cooking the jam down because this recipe does not use boxed pectin from the store.

Most recipes for jam call for the boxed pectin you can find at the store but it is not a requirement. Yes, it helps to make the jam thicker quicker but it has nothing to do with the actual preserving of the jam. In this recipe I am just cooking down the jam for a bit longer to get a thicker consistency without using the boxed pectin. (Directions on how to preserve the jam by the water bath method are in bold and italics in the directions below.)

Ingredients you will need to make this plum jam:

• Fresh plums, roughly chopped
• Sugar

You will use 1/4 of sugar per 1 cup of roughly chopped plums. For example, if you have 16 cups of plums then you will use 4 cups of sugar.

Directions:

• 1.) If you are going to water bath the jam jars (whatever size jar you would like) to preserve the jam then start by sanitizing your jars, rings and lids by placing them in boiling water for a couple minutes. Let them dry on a clean towel. If you are not planning on preserving the jam then simply skip this step and just make sure your jars and lids are clean.
• 2.) Add your chopped plums and sugar to a heavy bottomed pan. The heavy bottom insures even heating which you want when making jam. Stir them together.

• 3.) Turn the burner on low heat and stir often, at least every couple of minutes.
• 4.) The juices from the plums will start to come out of the plums making a very soupy consistency. Once the mixture has come to a low simmer and the plums are very soft then you will use an immersion blender to VERY CAREFULLY blend the plums until they are smooth. Please be very careful with this step as you do not want molten sugar and plums splattering and burning you!

• 5.) Once everything is nice and smooth there will probably be some foam floating in the top. You are going to want to scoop this foam off with a spoon and discard.

• 6.) Now you are going to let the jam continue to simmer on very low heat until it is the consistency you are looking for. Make sure to keep stirring it at least every 2 minutes. The time really depends on how thick you would like your jam. I don’t mind my jam being a little bit thinner so I cooked it for about a total of 45 minutes so if you like a thicker jam you will want to go longer.

• 7.) You can test the consistency of the jam by taking a plate and spooning a tiny amount of the jam onto the plate and letting it cool completely. Run your finger through the middle of the jam to test the consistency. You can do this periodically throughout the cooking process until the jam is the consistency you would like.

• 8.) Carefully pour the jam into your clean jars and let cool for about an hour then cover with the lids. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month. If you are preserving the jam bring a large pot of water to a boil, large enough to cover the lids of the jars with water. Place the jars in the boiling water and let boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool completely, if any of the jars do not seal even after they are cooled completely then that jam will need to be refridgerated and used within one month.

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