Plum jam

[Bibis]

I have just tried to make my first ever jam, we moved to a new house with loads of plum trees, followed the recipe and ............ disaster, just before the jam got to 104 degrees it burnt

Where did I go wrong?

I am about to make blackberry jelly, will that end in tears as well?

Or can some kind soul please point out the error of my ways

Am just about to wash the pan - how depressing

if it is any consolation I think this is not uncommon. Next time (cos you really wanted to hear those words ) stop it when you think it is ready or tastes right. That's how it usually works for us. Keeping going until the book says usually ends up burnt here too.

you might also find that what you've ended up with actually tastes ok once it has cooled down and will go quite nicely mixed in with natural yoghurt

Sadly, it tasted bad just before I chucked it in the bin .

There will be a next time, I will not be thwarted.

Blackberry jelly here we come.............

Thanks for the advice PrincessGL

I've never burned my jam.... and I've never used a jam thermometer either. oculd there be alink?

go for the wrinkle method: ice a saucer of water and when the jam has been going a bit, drop a bit into the water; if the surfaces gently wrinkles when pushed its done.

we (well I didn't do much but occassionally stir it) have been harvesting plums today, we, well my mum actually.... are making plum jelly... I was quite excited about renting a house with 5 plum trees, until I see the vast amount of work involved in cooking them, keep looking for plum recipes, we have so many plums...

I have cut loads in half and frozen these, for winter cooking... tinking of making roast pork and plums.... maybe trying plum chutney... but the list of ingredients in chutney makes me fall asleep before I get to the method... can you tell I am not a dedicated cook?

I keep googling for plum recipes

my mother reckons the saucer test is most effective, drop jelly/jam onto a cold saucer and if it wrinkles it is ready

husband has just made some this evening-he heats it very slowly so maybe the problem was too fiercely heating it?

Do you have a bread machine? Some have a jam programme that does all the stirring for lazy lazy jam-makers like me. I am also coming down with plums at the moment-- has anyone tried the Delia spiced plum chutney recipe? I was thinking of giving it a go.

It is very important to make sure all the sugar has disolved properly before you boil or it can burn on the base of the pan. It helps to warm the sugar first, I stick it in the oven whilst warming/drying my sterilised jars.

If you stir it too much it can make your jam cloudy, so just heat it gently. Also I only use 3lbs sugar to 4lbs plums as I don't like sweet jam, I add lemon juice to help setting, so not so much sugar to dissolve anyway.

I'm a saucer in the freezer/wrinkled surface girl too.

Agree with Peachy. I only use my thermometer for wine-making.

Do you have Hugh Fearnleys recipe for Plum Chutney and Plum Dipping Sauce? If not, do you want 'em...?

Oh oh oh, can I have them, Duchess, please?

Yes. Wrinkle test here too...

Plum Jampote:

Put 1k plums (small & sour are best) and 500g caster sugar in a large heavy-based pan with enough water to come halfway up the plums. heat gently, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the plums are tender, then strain off about 500ml of the syrupy juice through a sieve into a clean pan (for the next recipe)!

When the plums have cooled, remove the stones and some of the skins (not essential) then bring back to the boil and boil hard for 5 mins to give a thick, pulpy compote which is on it's way to being a jam. It should keep for up to 3 months in the fridge - or freeze it in portions. Very good served with equal quantities of cold fresh egg custard & unsweetened yoghurt, pile into a bowl and mix into a fool. Also good as a hot sauce over steamed pudding or cold over ice cream.

Coming next.... Hot & Sour Plum Dipping Sauce

Hot & Sour Plum Dipping Sauce:

Add to the 500ml of plum syrup:
1-2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1-2 small hot chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
100ml light soy sauce
100ml brown rice or cider vinegar

Stir well, bring to the boil and then boil rapidly over a high heat for about 5 minutes. While still hot, pour through a clean funnel into 1 large or 2 or 3 smaller sterilised bottles or jars. The sauce should keep for up to a year in the fridge.

It is a very runny sauce - not like the duck sauce but you could thicken it by adding plum jam? I also add finely chopped ginger to mine.

Plum Chutney:

1 kilo of marrow/courgette or pumpkin, deseeded
1 kilo of plums, stoned and chopped
1 kilo of cooking OR eating apples
500g onions
500g sultanas or raisins
500g light brown sugar
750ml white wine or cider vinegar made up to 1 pint with WATER
1-3 teaspoons of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of salt

And spice bag: put thumb-sized piece ginger, 12 cloves, 12 black peppercorns, teaspoon of coriander seeds and a few blades of mace in a muslin square & tie it up. - I always make this up according to what I have.

Chop all the veg into dice no bigger than 1cm. Put in a large heavy pan with sultanas, sugar, vinegar, chilli and salt. Add the spice bag, pushing it into the middle.

Heat the mixture gently, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours, uncovered, and now stirring regularly to ensure it does not burn on bottom of the pan. the chutney is ready when it is rich, thick and reduced, and parts to reveal the base of the pan when a wooden spoon is dragged through it. If it starts to dry out before this stage is reached, add a little boiling water.

Pot up the chutney while still warm (but not boiling) in sterlised jars with platic-coated screw-top lids (vinegar interacts with metal lids). Leave to mature for at least 2 weeks - and ideally 2 months before serving.

I made 12lb plum jam last weekned and am about to make some ore tomorrow.

This year's batch was better than last years's (my first attempt).

I'm using Victoria (I tihnk) plums from the garden - they're red skinned with yellow flesh and lovely and sweet.

I stoned but did not skin my plums first. Uisng 2.7kg (6lb), I put them on to simmer for half an hour with 900ml water, together with a few crushed stoned and a stick of cinnamon. Nex time I'll put in slighlty less sugar just to expreiment.

I actually simmered them for slighlty more that half an hour, as the plums weren't quite really soft.

Then I put in 2.7kg granulated sugar - all the recipes I have read have said that using caster sugar can casue probelms.

Once it had dissolved, I then put up the gas burner to bring it up to the boil. I actually ended up squeezing half a lemon in to it, as it seemed to be taking such a long time to get to setting point. I ended up giving up on the thermometer and using the wrinkle tst - althigh I think that last year, when I didn't have the thermometer, I ended up over cooking it, as dh has commented that last year's batch is darker than this year's.

This year I also invested in a preserving pan from Lakeland Plastic - althoguh I am sure it is not essentail!

I did stir (with a long handled wooden spoon) regualrly, but not continuously.

I've also tried making pear jam for the firs time this year - it is very tasty, even if it hasn't set properly (didn't use the wrinkle test, althugh I did use 3 lemons to encourage setting but suspect it wasn't fully up to temperature as I was slightly missuing the temomenter - made this badge before the plum jam)

If you want to increase the setting ability of plum jam, put the stones in a muslin bag and add- they are full of pectin

(Can you tell I used toa dore my Mums collection of 1950's farmhouse cook books? LOL)

Thank you all so much for your advice.

The blackberry jelly hasn't set but I am going to freeze it in ice lolly moulds for children, hopefully they will like it

Will be printing this thread out for future reference

Wow, thanks duchess! Better go outside and get picking.

thank you for these recipes, they are great... any tips for getting plums stained nails back to a less bogging state

This is a perfectly timed thread for me. DS and I finally picked all the plums which were falling off and/or rotting on the trees this afternoon.

but we have no jars, sugar, etc and I am working all week so - question for the experts:

Can you/have you made jam from previously frozen plums? I am planning to stone them and stick them in the freezer and have a jam-making session next weekend...

Have done it with frozen damsons before, but they have a higher pectin content. (Easier setting)

so does pectin deteriorate with freezing, then?

Homemade Plum jam are my FFFFFFFFFAAAVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSs

as my aunty got a plum tree and she makes fantastic plum jams (me and dp have jam on toast every single day till it all gone!)