Unripe plums...

[Nicos]

Any help here appreciated please!

For the first time ever, my lost label plum tree has fruited..and by heck has it fruited!

Thing is, the birds are pecking away at the unripe fruit so I've decided to rescue some of it.
I now have a huge bowl I'm thinking of jamming.
Not really a jam maker, and not knowing how sweet the fruit will end up being, is there anything I should do to make sure the jam isn't too tart and that it sets OK?

(the fruit looks like a small Victoria plum in colour and the size of a medium / small egg.)

[Bigmallly]

Is the tree too tall to net Nic?

[Nicos]

I have no spare netting!.....it's all on the brassicas! And I have no time to buy more until next Tuesday.
it's about 15 ft high so it's about the limit to reach with help.
I just thought it's only a week or so and they'll be ready...so perhaps I could jam some now.
It's the pectin levels I'm not sure about...and How much sugar to add without overdoing the sweetness and getting it to set like concrete

Many years ago I netted a 15 ft cherry tree and had a terrible problem afterwards untangling the new growth which had grown through the netting....plus having watched a Jay clamber up the trunk , under the netting and getting stuck in eating me cherries !

Sort of put me off netting trees!

[veggiechicken]

They should ripen up a bit now they're picked. Give them a few days and see what happens - do your ironing meanwhile

[Alison]

The sugar us to preserve it not setting and pretty much all jams need the same weight of sugar as fruit. If you're worried about setting then cook the fruit in a little lemon juice before adding the sugar to release the pectin. Up ripe fruit tends to have more pectin than very ripe stuff too so you'll almost certainly be fine.

[Nicos]

Oh great..thanks for that Alison...I was under the impression the riper the fruit, the more pectin!
Looks like I'll be jamming on Sunday!

[mothhawk]

Now, you see, what you really need here, Nicos, is errr...... um....









a Brix meter




I'll get me coat.....

[Alison]

Oh great..thanks for that Alison...I was under the impression the riper the fruit, the more pectin!
Looks like I'll be jamming on Sunday!

It's definitely true for he likes of gooseberries but there may be exceptions so I'm not accepting any responsibility for any lack of set........ I will however happily take the credit if it works

[Jeanied]

Sounds very Bob Marley to me, Nicos.

I was sure I saw a pectin chart somewhere on the vine. Maybe not.

[roitelet]

If the plums are not quite rip enough spread them out in a single layer an leave them for a few days and they will ripen, just check them daily for rot.

Here you are Nicos, works every time for me:-

Juicy Plum Jam

The weight of the plum flesh in sugar.

Stone the plums and weigh them. Put them in a bowl with half their weight of sugar and mix. Leave for 24hrs. Reserve the stones.

Put the plums in a preserving pan with the stones in a muslin bag. Bring to the boil and cook for 20mins or until cooked.

Add the rest of the sugar and heat until disolved.

Bring to a full rolling boil for 20 to 30 mins, (test for so set after 20mins)

Pot and cover.

Best of luck

[lyndapet]

I have no spare netting!.....it's all on the brassicas! And I have no time to buy more until next Tuesday.
it's about 15 ft high so it's about the limit to reach with help.
I just thought it's only a week or so and they'll be ready...so perhaps I could jam some now.
It's the pectin levels I'm not sure about...and How much sugar to add without overdoing the sweetness and getting it to set like concrete

Many years ago I netted a 15 ft cherry tree and had a terrible problem afterwards untangling the new growth which had grown through the netting....plus having watched a Jay clamber up the trunk , under the netting and getting stuck in eating me cherries !

Sort of put me off netting trees!

Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum mobile app

[lyndapet]

I have no spare netting!.....it's all on the brassicas! And I have no time to buy more until next Tuesday.
it's about 15 ft high so it's about the limit to reach with help.
I just thought it's only a week or so and they'll be ready...so perhaps I could jam some now.
It's the pectin levels I'm not sure about...and How much sugar to add without overdoing the sweetness and getting it to set like concrete

the pectin is contained in the stones , so keep the stones and put them in a muslin bag and add to the jam mixture .The muslin bag Makes it easy to remove the stones when the jam is prepared



Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum mobile app

[Nicos]

Ah...thanks for that!