Yesterday we went plum-picking. In our own garden--how cool is that?
The much-neglected plum tree at the bottom of our garden is absolutely dripping with fruit in varying degrees of ripeness. I'm pretty surprised as the weather has been rotten this summer, but clearly our tree is the Little Plum Tree That Could and has come up trumps. Next year I may even treat the tree to some pruning as a reward for all of its hard work.
After 15 minutes of picking--Dave standing on a chair, me holding the bowl--we had about a kilo of ripe fruit with tons more left on the tree to ripen up some more.
Dave also discovered a blackberry bush behind the garage, so he braved the weeds and thorns to pick a couple of handfuls. They're surprisingly sweet and not too pippy, so I think I might stew them with some of the plums for Lucas. Should work well with some rice pudding or Greek yoghurt.
The rest of the plums have now reached their zenith--plum jam. Ruby red, fragrant, with a nice wobbly (but not runny!) set and intense plum flavour with a slightly caramelised edge to it. The biggest surprise was the colour--I can't believe how vibrant it was compared to jams that I've bought from the supermarket in the past.
Good thing that there's plenty more fruit on the tree... I don't think this jar will last for long!
Red Plum Jam
Makes one 500g jar
Note: my microwave is 900W. Adjust timings accordingly for your own wattage.
450g plums
2 TBSP boiling water
350g granulated white sugar (caster sugar will do in a pinch)
Put a saucer in the fridge to chill.
Wash, dry and sterilise your jar. I find the best way to do this is to either run it through the dishwasher if you're about to do a cycle anyway, OR, pour about an inch of water in the jar and microwave on full for 2 mins. Drain upside down on a wad of kitchen paper.
Halve and pit the plums. Put in a large shatterproof bowl (Pyrex is always good) that can accommodate the jam boiling and rising. Add the boiling water and microwave on FULL (900W) for 7 minutes, stirring once with a wooden spoon. The fruit should be pretty soft.
Dump the sugar on top and return to the microwave. Cook on FULL for 5 mins (or until the sugar dissolves completely), stirring twice. Make sure to protect your hand with an oven glove when stirring or holding the bowl.
Return to microwave and cook on MEDIUM (450W) for 15 minutes, stirring three or four times. Test for setting point by spooning a teaspoonful out onto the cold saucer; chill for one minute. Gently push the dollop of jam with your finger. If the surface wrinkles the jam is ready. If not, cook for another 2-3 mins on MEDIUM and then test again.
Let the jam cool to lukewarm before ladling into the jar. The jar needs to be warm, so put a small cup of hot water into the microwave along with your sterile jar and heat on FULL for 1 minute.
Stand the jar on some newspaper and ladle the jam in. A jam funnel is particularly handy here. Put a disc of waxed paper on top and leave to cool completely before putting the lid on.
Label the jar and store in a cool, dark cupboard or the fridge. Should keep indefinitely until opened.
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Comments
Ooooh plum jam. My parents plum tree died a couple of years back. We planted a new tree but they take a few years to produce any significant amount of fruit, as a result it's been 2 years without homemade plum jam, and boy do I miss it!
1. Posted by Katie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
on
August 12, 2007
I am green with envy! Such beautiful plums> We have pear trees, but no stone fruits. The jam sounds divine.
2. Posted by Lydia on August 13, 2007
They look great! I recently used same plums to make summer soup with roasted almonds :)
http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/?p=561
Greetings, Margot
3. Posted by Coffee & Vanilla on August 14, 2007
Yummy! Our little plum tree was never quite so plentiful, now i see what we are missing out on. We had a raspberry bush growing up so it was always rhubarb/raspberry jam in our house.
4. Posted by Christy on August 18, 2007
Wow that is awesome. I wish I had a garden.
http://birdfood-sharona.blogspot.com/
5. Posted by sharona may on August 30, 2007
I've just been making damson jam - I love the smell that fills the house when you add the sugar to the bubbling mix!
The recipe for damson jam is on my blog.
6. Posted by the caked crusader on September 6, 2007