Sunday, October 23, 2011

Homemade Plum Jam

I'm so excited to share my new canning experience! For the first time ever I canned jam! I chose Jam because I love the consistency and that there are still pieces of the fruit in the mixture as opposed to just making a jelly or marmalade ect. Now, I'm new to the canning process and I try to explain it in as much detail as I can here but always make sure you research and consult older family members or friends who have canned before if anything seems off to you. Researching stuff before you do it is always the best tool!

Ingredients
about 5 cups of plums chopped (this weighed out to about 3 lbs of plums)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp pectin (or 1 package)
1 cup honey (or to taste depends on sweetness and ripeness of plums.
1/2 cup water

Method:
Add plums pectin and lemon juice to pot and cook on medium heat, the plums will start to liquefy and turn to mush.

When mushy add 1/2 cup of water and stir well until it comes to a boil
Let boil without stirring for 20-30 minutes

There is a kind of foam that forms on top when you leave it to boil (which you should for about 20 min) Scrape foam off top
Add honey and cook for another 15 minutes until it starts to form one syrupy consistency.

Wash and boil jars to prepare for jam, dry thoroughly and add hot jam.

Place lids and rings on jars
Process jars in boiling water for 20 minutes
and there you have it homemade jam! its so simple and delicious! If there is one thing I have realized its that everything that is made from scratch and by hand is so much simpler than you make it out to be in your head! Really try it! You will amaze yourself, plus you can add the amount of sugars or salts you want. So much healthier than store bought! And how can you go wrong with all the hard work you put into it? It's bound to taste delish!
-Amanda

3 comments:

  1. That foam off of the top tastes fantastic, btw. That was always my favorite part of canning with my mom. Another good thing to note is that if you have a can that doesn't seal, the jam is still good for up to 3 weeks in the fridge :]

    (I also just realized that I've never had plum jam...)

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  2. Thanks so much for that info Tahirih! Thats awesome! I didn't know they would stay for that long! Good to know I had a few that didn't seal.
    It was really good! a little thick but I like having big pieces of fruit in my jam!
    -Amanda

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  3. And for those people who can't/don't want to, you can always do freezer jam! I just made some and it keeps up to a year in the freezer! And it is super easy to make. :)

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