PLUM JAM

Plums and apples before boiling

My father-in-law Pat grows plums and he gave us a bunch of them at the weekend. Jam time! I added two apples to the plums as they were going to go in the compost otherwise. The jam is super sweet. It would be lovely on a Ditty's Irish oat cake, or on some nice brown soda bread. I enjoyed it on a rice cake, in the absence of other substances :)

Juno squeezing the lemon

Stirring, stirring

Ingredients

2lbs plums

2 eating apples, peeled and chopped small

2lbs granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tblsp butter

100ml cold water

Method

·         Wash plums and remove stalks. Cut the plums and remove the stone.

·         Peel, core and cut apples up small

·         Place fruit, lemon juice and water in a large, deep pot and bring to the boil, stirring frequently

·         Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until the fruit has softened

·         Keep heat low and add sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved.

·         Stir in the butter to reduce frothing. Turn up the heat and stir continuously until the mixture comes to a rapid boil.

·         Continue stirring on high heat until the jam reaches setting point. This is when the mixture starts to thicken and set on the sides of the pot.

·         Remove from heat. To test, place a teaspoon of jam onto a cold saucer. Allow to cool, then push your finger through the jam, it should start to congeal and wrinkle up - if it’s still runny, you haven’t yet reached setting point.

·         If not set, return the pot to the heat; bring back up to a rolling boil and test again in a few minutes.

·         Remove from heat and ladle into clean, sterilised, warm jars. (I got four Bonne Maman jars of jam from this amount.) Seal while jars are warm.

Four jars - one with homespun lid

Sterilising jars

·         Preheat oven to 130C

·         Clean jam jars and lids in the dishwasher or with water and washing up liquid. Dry thoroughly.

·         Line a baking tray with newspaper. Place jars on it – make sure they are not touching.

·         Pop in the oven 20 minutes before you expect your jam to be ready – the jars must be hot when you put the hot jam into them.

·         Seal immediately with lids or with greaseproof rounds and greaseproof/plastic lids held on with elastic/string.

Plum jam on a rice cake - yum!