Easy Plum Jam Recipe - Three Olives Branch (2024)

FAQs

Do you remove skin from plums before making jam? ›

The skins completely broke down during the cooking process into a deliciously sweet jam. The skins also contain a lot of pectin, which helps the jam gel. So here's my advice: leave the skin on the plums. Even if you don't like plum skin, you won't be able to tell!

Fruit preserves refer to fruit or vegetables that have been prepared, canned or jarred for long term storage. Jam refers to a product made with whole fruit, cut into pieces or crushed. Preserves contain chunks of fruits but jams do not; jams contain fruit pulp.

Colleen suspects it's to do with the breakdown of sugars that give that bitter taste. When you're cooking the sugars at high heat you get non-enzymatic browning, which occurs either through caramelisation or something called the Maillard reaction. That is an interaction of proteins and sugars.

Don't use overly ripe fruit. It will make your jam too runny. The pectin is concentrated in the skins, so it's a must that the skins are left on for this jam. If you are unable to find any slightly under-ripe plums, grate in 1/2 cup of sour apple skins.

Homemade fruit preserves can last for up to year or even longer if it is unopened and stored in a cool, dry place, such as a pantry or kitchen cupboard. However the flavour and texture of your jam will start to deteriorate after around 6 months, even if you keep them tightly sealed.

If, on the other hand, the jam is rock solid, that means you've gone too far and cooked it too long. You can try adding a little water to thin it out, but bear in mind that after overcooking a jam, you can't really get those fresh fruit flavors back.

So if you use pieces of fruit or whole berries, you are actually using less fruit than if it were mashed, or cooked to a mash and then measured, and you will get a firmer jell. Or you may have used more pectin than the recipe called for. For example, if you used Tablespoons of pectin rather than teaspoons.

The two main types of commercially grown plums are European (prunus domestica) and Japanese (prunus salicina). European plums, aka prune plums, are mainly grown to be turned into dried plums. Their thick skins, high sugar content, and dense flesh make them ideal for drying, and best for baking and jam-making.

Q: How long can I keep my homemade jams and jellies once I open them? A: Opened home-canned jams and jellies should be kept in the refrigerator at 40°F or lower. “Regular” – or pectin-added, full-sugar – cooked jams and jellies are best stored for 1 month in the refrigerator after opening.

Continue stirring the plums and sugar until the fruit starts to turn translucent. At this time, taste for sweetness. Take a small amount of the (still liquid) jam in a teaspoon, cool and taste it. If it tastes too sour for your liking, add a teaspoon or two more of sugar and continue cooking.

How do you thicken homemade plum jam? ›

(2)Most jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. I usually use a 75 % ratio, or 1 ½ pounds of sugar to every 2 pounds of fruit, unless the fruit is not very sweet, in which case, I adjust accordingly.

Jam is set by a combination of pectin and sugar. Pectin occurs naturally in fruit but in differing levels, if you are having trouble getting your jam to set then it could be due to the pectin content in the fruit being too low.

If you are using frozen plums to make jams or cook into a pie, there is no need to defrost the plums first, just start cooking with the frozen plums. Freezing plums allows you to set them aside and turn them into jam or chutney when the weather has cooled down and you have time to mind the bubbling pot.

Use the soft, sweet, juicy flesh of plums in jams, chutneys, puddings, cakes and crumbles – they taste delicious and add vibrant colour.

The skin is edible, but if you want raw plums without the skin, drop into into boiling water for around 15 seconds, then plunge immediately into cold water and it should come away easily. If you're cooking plums, they're easier to skin afterwards.

Slice an "x" on the bottom of each plum.

Use a paring knife to cut a cross hatch at the bottom of the plum (the side opposite the stem). Make each cut to be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. This will make it nice and easy to peel back the skin. Don't worry about making the cut deep, simply cut through the skin of the plum.

Prep tips: If you are using plum slices or halves in a pie or tart, leave the skins intact; they give the finished dish a pretty color. But if you're making a plum puree for an ice cream, jelly or jam, the skins will be too tart and should be removed.

To can whole, prick skins on two sides of plums with fork to prevent splitting. Freestone plums may also be halved and pitted, if desired. Plums may be canned in water, fruit juice or sugar syrup. Prepare syrup in canner batch quantities—approximately 5 cups (1250 ml) for 7-500 ml jars, according to chart.