Jam Like you Mean It!

It'll soon be time for Texas Plums to be coming in! Honestly, I don't know what their 'real' name is...they don't look anything like any plums that I'd ever seen! And they don't taste like them, either! Nevertheless, they make some really fabulous jam!

See what I mean? They look like cherries on steroids on the outside. Inside, they're light colored, with a unique tart-sweet to them. We had three of these trees when we lived in Pursley, and I had actual farmland. I'll remember that first year we lived there, I was just so excited to see the first flowers, and then the first tiny fruits! Then came the late season blast o' cold that usually strikes at least one last time, just before Easter. Boom, all gone, overnight! The tree made a recovery and sent out a second bunch of flowers and fruits, thank goodness! I might have been ruined on farming, had it not shown its own perseverance!

Let's get jammin'!

Plum Jam

4-1/2 cups chopped plums...whatever kind of plums you have will be fine
7-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (1.75 oz.) pack of powdered fruit pectin

Wash, pit and chop the fruits and place them in an overly deep pot. Add the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Use your potato masher to break them up as they release their juices. Simmer for 5 minutes.

For a smooth consistency, process the plums, a bit at a time, in your blender. Be super careful to not overfill, and hold a folded tea towel over the lid, to help keep everything under lock. Pulse to begin, then liquify. Do a bit at a time, until it's all done. Return the fruit to the pot.

Stir in the sugar, the lemon juice and the butter. The butter is there to help reduce the foaming. Bring the pot of goodness to a full rolling boil...one that cannot be stirred down. Stir constantly. This will gain quite a bit of altitude as it cooks, and will climb the walls of the pot like nobody's business! That's why the deep pot is important. We want the lava hot sugar fruit to stay IN the pot!

As soon a this hard boil is achieved, add the pectin all at once and stir, stir, stir! An extra long handled wood spoon is ideal for this! When it comes back to that super hard boil, let it boil for one minute, timed, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat. Skim off any foam from the surface and discard it.

Get your deep canning pot going, filled halfway with water. Bring to boil. Meanwhile, ladle the jam into your clean, prepared jars. Leave 1/2 inch of head space at the top. Wipe the rims well and seal the jars. When the water's boiling, carefully lower the jars into the pot, using canning tongs. Make sure the water is at least an inch over the top of the jars...if not, ass more. Bring back to a full boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove your jars to a towel lined counter, and let sit until cooled. you'll hear popping as each jar seals, letting you know your efforts have been a success.

The recipe says it makes 8 half pints. I got 10 half pints out of mine. Keep your canned jam in a cool dry place until you're ready to eat it. Once opened, it keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

This process will work for any stone fruit, or even a combination of stone fruits...I did a Pluot Jam last year, using our plums and some fresh apricots and it was out of this world! Nectarines, peaches, apricots, plums...all are fair game in this jam! Add vanilla to the plums for a Vanilla Plum Jam, which is insanely delicious! Great warmed, over pound cake with some whipped cream. Add a little brandy to a peach jam for Southern Comfort Peach Jam; add raspberries to a peach jam for Peach Melba Jam.