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Any time I buy fruit in bulk, I run the risk of the boys getting burnt out on it before the fruit spoils. My solution that I’ve come to love for this situation?
Canning!
These particular plums, the boys said, were especially tart, and for that reason, the plums sat in the fridge for a good week before I decided to make some baby food and plum jam out of them.
One plum equals roughly a half cup. (This of course, will depend on the size of your plums.) I had about a dozen plums to process, and entirely under-estimated how many jars of jam this would make. And actually, a dozen plums would have made more jam, but I removed some of the cooked plums to make Lincoln’s baby food before I dumped in all the sugar.
I threw them into the pot one at a time as I washed and cut them in half, and removed stems and pits. A dozen plums cut in half equals about six cups.
The jam cooking on the stove made the house smell like Christmas. And the finished product?
Ooey, gooey, sweet, delicious jam!
I did use the traditional water-bath canning process to get the jars to seal, and we now have four beautiful half-pint jars ready to go! My Grandma would be so proud of me.
Simple Plum Jam
Ingredients
- equal cups fresh plums and sugar (Use less sugar depending on the sweetness of your plums.)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Wash plums, then cut in half and remove stems and pits.
- Place into large pot with 1/2 cup water.
- Cook uncovered on medium/low heat for about 40 – 45 minutes or until plums are soft and easily mashed.
- Stir often.
- Add sugar and stir continuously over medium/high heat.
- Stir in butter (reduces frothing).
- Keep stirring for several minutes until jam thickens and starts to stick to sides of pot. When jam is sticky and gooey and thick, it is ready. (You can test it by pouring an inch or so of jam into a cool jar and letting it sit for a few minutes. If it’s thick and jelly-like, it’s done.)
- Pour into sterilized canning jars and seal.
- Enjoy on your favorite toast or shortbread cookies.
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Wow, that does sound simple! Thanks for this!
I am going to make this. I have been so hungry for some plum jam and haven’t been able to find any to buy. I’m the only one who eats jam/jellies, but it will nice to have a little stash on hand for me. When I was a little girl, my mom and grandma used to make a plum conserve. It was made out of the prune plums and had nuts and golden(I think) raisins in it. I loved it….I’ve not been successful in finding the recipe, but I’m going to go through my moms recipe and see if I can locate it. If I find it, I’ll put it up for you to see. It is so yummy. And so glad you got a new crock-pot. Not good to be almost burning yourself…..we (and your family) need you healthy and able to cook