Plum Jam: what does 'test for pectin' mean?

[Blu]

How do I 'test for pectin' before adding the sugar?
And what would I do depending on the results?

Thanks,
Mystified newbie would-be jam-maker.

Oh - and how long do I have to simmer the plums for before adding the sugar?

?

i think pectin is natural fruit sugar so taste it to see how sweet before dding sugr on top????????????????

A natural gelling agent found in ripe fruit. Pectin is an important ingredient in making jams and jellies. The levels of pectin vary from fruit to fruit. Some fruits, such as citrus fruit, blackberries, apples and redcurrants have high pectin levels. Others are low in pectin such as strawberries - so lemon juice is added to strawberry jam to help it set. It's possible to buy pectin as a liquid extract or in powdered form. On ready-made jams and jellies it's labelled as E440.

i copied that lol

mrs beeton says boil for 30 mins simmer for 15 (i googled )

Don't you drop a blob of jam onto a cold plate, leave for a bit and then poke sideways with a finger to see how set it is?

If it wrinkles on the surface it has enough pectin?

Don't know how or where I got that from though so might be a load of cobblers

Thank you, 1973magpie - I will try that...I see on the webpage about jam-making that told me to 'test for pectin without explaining how does say plums are high in it, so hopefully all will be well.

Next Q: if I haven't got enough jam jars, can I use those clip-top jars with a rubber seal as long as all sterilised and dry?

Oh gawd...have googled some more and 'testing for pectin' seems to involve mixing a bit of the bopiled fruit with meths...

is there a very simple, complicated-ingredients-free method for making a few pots of plum jam? (I do not normally have meths hanging around...)

when my mum used to make bramble jelly she used cooking apples to boost the natural pectin, then to test if enouhg, she would pour some onto a cold plate, let it cool a bit and then run her finger through the middle. If it stayed parted then it was fine. If not, she'd cook for a bit longer.

Not sure, but I think you can buy pectin in liquid form from health food shops.

yes, like Lackadaisycal says, apple will add to the pectin levels (and the taste). Also plum stones, which you can either try and fish out later or tie up in a little bit of muslin and fish that out.

It's not as complex as it's made out to be. Just chuck it all in...when it gets sticky on a saucer (rather than runny) it'll more than likely be fine... just don't make the mistake of burning the sugar because that'll taste yucky.

I can't see that you would need to add pectin for plums, I've never had to do so though I have always made plum jam from English plums in August/September rather than the imported ones that are available at the moment.

Lilymaid - I have a plum tree that is collapsing under the weight of ripe plums atm! Hence my plum panic!

Am making some plum sponges to freeze and will attempt jam later once I have the waxed circles....

if you have a freezer, try plum ice cream - very very easy! search in the MN recipes section for my strawberry ice cream recipe and just adjust it for plum

Oh, yes, ice cream...mmmm!

No room for oven chips in OUR freezer this year!

oh and this may be scorned on but I never use wax circles and never get mouldy jam...

OK - that's good to know, wellies. One less technicality to fret about!

the problem is making the ice cream last the summer of course...

Lucky you! I believe that there is a pectin test that involves using meths (!) but it definitely isn't necessary for plum jam.
You won't need any pectin/Certo and the jam should be great. Simmer the plums in the prescribed amount of water (my recipe says 2 kg plums to 500 ml water) for 10-20 minutes until tender, then add sugar (2 kg) and boil for 15-20 minutes, testing using the saucer method (bung 2-3 saucers in freezer before starting to cook so they are very cold, then spoon a teaspoon of the hot jam on one, pop into fridge to cool for a minute then test by drawing your finger over the mixture. If it wrinkles it is ready). If it isn't give it another 5 minutes boil and try again.
If you don't have a jam pan or something similar it would be better to halve these ingredients.

Brilliant.

Thank you lilymaid.

Sounds v simple.

We have a victoria plum tree and these are definitely low in pectin. You need to extract the pectin by cooking the fruit BEFORE adding the sugar. Adding lemon juice will also help to extract the pectin. The meths test (add two teaspoons of meths to one teaspoon of the juice taken from the pan) is very simple and very reliable. With insufficient pectin present your jam will never set.

Testing for pectin and testing for a set are two different things. Testing for a set is what you do if you don't use a jam thermometer and you boil jam rapidly for about 10 minutes, take it off the heat, then drop a blob into a cold dish. After a minute or so you can push you finger into it. If it wrinkles the jam is ready, if it doesn't it isn't! You can go past the setting point very quickly, so never test for a set while leaving the jam bubbling. If you go past the setting point the jam goes sticky rather than setting nicely. Unfortunately I have no idea how to test for pectin! This must be done before you add the sugar. I use sugar with added pectin for strawberry jam, but now I am making Damson jam and the recipe says "test for pectin". I think you can boost the pectin levels by crushing the stones a bit, then remove them all when you have added the sugar (just fish them out with a wooden spoon).

or you could just cheat and use jam sugar which has pectin in it