plum jam recipe please

[janeyo]

if anyone has one. I have just acquired 5lbs of czars.

[janeyo]

I have found an easy one which just needs 2lb fruit and 2 lb sugar. Does this mean the weight of the fruit after taking out the stones or before?

Plus the plums are really sweet, does it really need the same weight in sugar?

And the farmshop lady said not to add too much water or it won't set, but the recipe doesn't mention water at all.

Confused ( it doesn't take much) - Help!

[Scottishnewbie]

I made some yesterday - had to boil it up again as it didn't set! Still a bit runny but tastes nice enough.

took recipe from river cottage no 2 book

1.5kg plums
1.25kg granulated sugar

just thought, have you made it yet before i go typing out the whole recipe!

[janeyo]

Not made it yet, but that's this avo's job. Provided toddlie goes to sleep.
I have 5lbs so potentially enough for 2 different recipes

[janeyo]

Made the jam yesterday - cleaned and stoned the plums, weighed them, added the same weight in sugar (jam sugar for me), then brogh to boil slowly til sugar disolved. Then bolied hard til set.
Easy!
And OH SO delicious. And I don't normally like plum jam... now I've got 11 jars of it lol

[Scottishnewbie]

well done, mine was quite runny but tasty still the same. Lots of cheap ones in the shops just now so might buy some more and try again. Have a nice recipe somewhere for spicy plum sauce using some jam so will give that a go too.

I love this time of year.....no time for anything other than gardening and cooking.......

[janeyo]

It was slightly runny when we had it on toast today but not too bad considering

[catherine rael]

i have just moved to the UK and am not familiar with the "wax disc" method for preserving jam......how do i do it?? i have tried to place the discs to cover the jam, they overlap and fall in the jam...how long will the jam stay with these discs? where can i find jars with the rubber rings?

[WrexTheDragon]

i have just moved to the UK and am not familiar with the "wax disc" method for preserving jam......how do i do it?? i have tried to place the discs to cover the jam, they overlap and fall in the jam...how long will the jam stay with these discs? where can i find jars with the rubber rings?

You place the wax disk on the rop of the jam, it is to produce a cover for preventing air getting at the jam. I find that so long as you fill the jars while hot, this creates a vacuum and the wax disks are redundant.

Most cook shops sell these rubber rings, I would check out eBay if you do not have a shop in your area

Try PACK 10 REPLACEMENT RUBBER SEALING RINGS KILNER JARS on eBay (end time 21-Aug-09 22:25:41 BST)

[Hans Mum]

i do like wrex fill the jars right to the top, and i try and use at least one jar with a button lid so when it 'pops' i know they're sealed and i get DH to tighten the lids on when the jars are still hot (he has asbestos hands)

[WrexTheDragon]

Collected 3 kilos yesterday from the tree in the garden. Made 5 pints of juice and just made 12 pots of plum jelly from them.

Method:
Wash and halve the plums and put into a pan with 1 pint of water.
Heat and simmer for 5 mins and mash the plums with the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour into muslin bag and strain overnight. Do not force it through the muslin.
Pour the liquid into a pan.
Heat until you get a rolling boil.
For every pint add 1lb granulated sugar and juice of half a lemon.
Stair all the time and check temp with a thermometer for 105C (approx 10 min).
Use a cold saucer to test a sample for wrinkling, then bottle and seal while hot.

[SlugLobber]

My plum jam was quite runny, too. I since read in a friend's copy of the WI Jam book that using slightly under-ripe plums is best and some varieties have less pectin in. Mine is a mystery variety, so I guess it's best to use jam sugar to be on the safe side.

Re: the adding water or not thing. I was a bit confused, too, as I was using the Good Housekeeping Guide to make the jam, with a recipe on t'internet. The GHG did say to use two lemons worth of juice, and drizzle this over the plums and sugar, leaving for at least 8 hrs. I did it overnight and came back to a satisfactory mush of juice, plums and syrup! Then I made jam in the usual way.

[BarleySugar]

I was told at school when we made jam to stone the plums, put the stones in a bag, and boil with the fruit, because they contain the pectin. I've made 3 lots so far, using the following, and they've all set,
1kg plums, including stones
750g sugar
200ml water
stone plums, stew fruit, water and stones for 20 mins. add sugar, boil rapidly once dissolved, temp 104C, or crinkles when dropped onto cold plate.

tomorrow I'm trying a chinese type for adding to marinade by adding crushed garlic ginger and chillies to the stones before stewing