Spiced Plum Jam Recipe - Sweet and So Delicious! - Oh So Savvy Mom (2024)

FAQs

How do you reduce tartness in plum jam? ›

I generally add one ounce of lemon juice for every two pounds of fruit when jamming higher-acid fruit (like tart plums, cherries, or raspberries), and about two ounces for lower-acid fruit (like sweet strawberries).

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.

Fruit that is slightly under-ripe contains more pectin than ripe fruit. I recommend using about 1 cup of slightly under-ripe plums. Don't use overly ripe fruit. It will make your jam too runny.

What's the difference between plum butter and plum jam, you might be wondering? While jam is typically made of cooked fruit with the addition of pectin to make it somewhat gelatinous, fruit butter is basically a reduced fruit puree. Fruit butters are usually silkier, more spreadable, and use waaaay less sugar.

Sweetness balances out all types of sour flavors, so if something makes your mouth pucker, a dash of sugar may help!

Add a fat such as butter, heavy cream, sour cream, cheese, or olive oil to coat the tongue and physically block some of the acidity from your taste buds. You might also try adding a sweetener such as sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Add pectin.

Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam. Test for thickness and add another tablespoon if needed. Learn More About Pectin: What's the Deal with Pectin?

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.

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.

Freezing plums is as easy as can be, and the fruit wedges will last up to six months in your freezer. Use your frozen plums to make jam or preserves, add them into smoothies, or eat the wedges straight out of the freezer for a cool treat.

What is the ratio of sugar to fruit for jam? ›

Over-ripe or damaged fruit is not ideal - the jam will not set well and is likely to deteriorate rapidly. The amount of sugar you need to make jam depends on the amount of pectin in your chosen fruit, but generally the fruit-to-sugar ratio for traditional jams is 1:1 (ie. 450g/1lb sugar to 450g/1lb fruit).

What turns your jam brown is the same substance that turns cut fruit brown: Oxygen. The head space in your jars is filled with air, albeit less than at normal pressure.

Your jam may taste bitter because it's over-cooked. Sometimes overcooked jam can be a good thing, as it has a nice caramel flavor that will work well used in desserts. However, if it's really overcooked the sugar will give it a bitter burnt taste. Sadly if the jam is burnt it's beyond saving.

Mirabelle plums are the sweetest of all plum varieties. The small fruit with a slight reddish blush is popular for making eau-de-vie in France. Red plum varieties have bright red skin. Some, like the Santa Rosa, have amber flesh, while others, like Simcas, have bright red flesh that matches the skins.

If it's too tart, add more sugar (or honey, or maple syrup). You can add flavorings (spices, vanilla bean, booze, tea, herbs) if you want to zip things up. Or leave it plain, though I often add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.

If it tastes too sour for your liking, add a teaspoon or two more of sugar and continue cooking. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir the jam continuously for anywhere between 7-12 minutes.

As you are cooking your Jam add some Lemon juice to it. How much Lemon juice depends on Ph level of your jam and how much you are making. Squeezing the juice from half a lemon should be enough to lower the Ph of one jar of jam from 5 to 4, you will need to check it to ensure you don't get botulism.