Victoria Plums

[madmum]

Help
I have been given a HUGE bag full of Victoria plums by a neighbour.

I have never made jam in my life (sorry EJ) but am willing to chance it . . . . .

Need an idiot proof recipe please if such a thing exists at all?

[madmum]

[Derekthefox]

I would be inclined to make some plum sauce as well Madmum, perfect to accompany sausages for a quick meal.

Just stew down the plums with a small amount of water (almost negligible) and sugar, then into jars.

A savoury alternative to jam ...

Good luck anyway !

Derekthefox :D

[madmum]

why thank you derek  :)

like the pic . . . .

[Mrs Ava]

I always stone the plums first, then for every pound of fruit, you will need a pound of sugar.  Put the plums in a large pan with a splash of water and bring to the boil.  Turn the heat down and leave on a rolling simmer for a good 30 minutes until the fruit is really tender and the liquid is reduced.  Add the sugar and stir constantly until it is all dissolved then bring up to a rolling boil.  Boil, stirring carefully occassionally, for about 5 to 10 minutes, by which time it should have reached setting point.  If you do not have a sugar thermometer then test for a set by placing a couple of saucers in the freezer an hour before you start jamming, then take the pan off the heat, take a teaspoon full of the jam and dollop it onto the freezing cold saucer.  Leave for a couple of mins and then poke it with your finger.  If a wrinkled skin forms, you should have a set.  If it is still fluid and runny, place the pan back on the heat, get up to a rolling boil, and boil for another 5 mins, then repeat the test.  Once you have a set, pour CAREFULLY into warm, sterile jam jars and seal immediately.  When cold, label and store in a cool dark place.  YUM!  Love plum jam.  I added a drop of sloe gin to some of my plum jam this time, for a little extra grown up flavour.  If you wanna add some booze, pour it into the jamjar before adding the jam, then fill as before!

[madmum]

thank you both for the advice, I will be jammin all weekend I think!

just a quick question, should I be using a special kind of sugar?
Many Thanks
Mel

[bananagirl]

I put some cinnamon into a load of plums I made into jam. Interesting. Worked well. I think you can use just granulated as there is enough pectin in the plums to set the jam. Just don't use caster sugar.

[Debs]

Mmmm,

Sloe gin in plum jam - what an excellent idea EJ ;D

...now which freezer drawer did I store the plums in!!

Debs

[Mrs Ava]

I never buy preserving sugar as it is slihgtly more expensive than granulated, and doesn't fit the budget.  If I am using fruits low in pectin, I add some lemon juice or a couple of cooking apples.  You can make your own pectin by boiling up a couple of pound of apple skins and cores in water, then straining, then cooking it down until it is syruppy.  Add this to your jam mix in the pan.  The other thing I have found recently is sometimes I do not cook the fruit down for long enough so there is still a high level of water.  Make sure before you add the sugar you have cooked the fruits really well for a good 30minutes, reducing the liquid and concentrating the flavour....then you should get an excellent set!