Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (2024)

Jump to Recipe

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (1)

After tackling Homemade Pasta Sauce last week I finally got up the courage to make my own jam. Turns out it’s super simple and fun! My sister is the jam and jelly maker in the family. She mixes and matches all kinds of yummy flavors: Cherry Almond, Apricot Plum, Blackberry Raspberry – you get the idea! I was always in complete awe of her as she would show me her cases and cases of jams that she had made. I rarely buy jam or jellies in the store because my sister has always provided me with such amazing homemade jams.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (2)

So the thing with jam or jelly is that your recipe will depend a lot on the type of pectin you use. They are all very similar but you always want to check your packaging to make sure you are following their recommendations. One tip my sister gave me was to add a little butter to reduce foaming and in fact that same tip was mentioned on my Ball Pectin packaging.

Now I realize that not everybody has a completely overloaded plum tree in their backyard like I do 🙂 Keep a look out at your local Farmer’s Market for markdowns on large quantities of fruit or really terrific sales at your favorite grocery store.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (3)

What You’ll Need:
Plums, lots of plums
Sugar, lots of sugar
Bottle Lemon Juice
Pectin
Butter

My measurements:
12 cups of prepared {chopped} plums
12 cups of granulated sugar
27 tsp {9 Tbls} of lemon juice
13 1/2 Tbls pectin
1/4 tsp butter

Step 1. Rinse the fruit. You want to start with really clean fruit because in this recipe we won’t be removing the skins -hallelujah! The skins mostly kind of dissolve during the cooking process and are unnoticeable in the final product. One less step for us and more vitamins and nutritional value in the jam!

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (4)

Step 2. Prep the fruit. Using a paring knife, remove the cheeks of the plum and then cut off the top and bottom. Make sure to pare away any bruises or other blemishes on the fruit. Cut the fruit into small pieces so they will cook down faster. Stir frequently

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (5)

Step 3. Cook the fruit. Throw all of the fruit into a heavy-bottomed pot and start cooking. Add in the lemon juice now. For every 1 1/3 cups of prepared fruit, you need to add 3 tsp of bottled lemon juice. I let my fruit cook down for 10-15 minutes before adding in the pectin. Stir frequently.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (6)

Step 4. Add in the pectin and butter. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat. Stir constantly.

Step 5. Add the sugar. Stir to dissolve and return the mixture to a full rolling boil.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (7)

Step 6. Boil hard for EXACTLY ONE MINUTE stirring constantly and then remove from heat.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (8)

Step 7. Skim foam. I didn’t have a lot of foam but I noticed that what skins hadn’t dissolved were hanging out with the foam and they got tossed too.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (9)

Step 8. Prepare the waterbath canner, jars and lids. This should be done while the jam is being made. I boiled all components to make sure they were sanitized completely. I know many people run them through the dishwasher and that’s fine too.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (10)

Step 9. Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars using a funnel. Trust me. Funnels keep the mess to a minimum and keep you from getting burned. Handle all jars with care because they are HOT. Leave 1/4 inch headspace and wipe the rims of the jars. Place the lids on the jars and finger tighten the bands.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (11)

Step 10. Next it’s time to place the jars in the canner. The jars need to be covered by at least 1-2 inches of water. Place the lid on the canner and bring water to a boil. Process the jars for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let jars stand for 5 minutes before removing.

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (12)

Let the jars cool for 24 hours. Check the lids for a proper seal by pressing on the center. The lid should not flex at all. Loosen the band to prevent any moisture from being trapped and store. You’ve just jammed!

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (13)

We’ve already enjoyed our Homemade Plum Jam on many PB&J sandwiches and had some onPerfect Biscuits this morning – yum! I’d love to know if any of you can and what sorts of things you make. I’m really starting to get into this 🙂

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (14)

Print Pin

No ratings yet

Homemade Plum Jam

I finally got up the courage to make my own jam. Turns out it’s super simple and fun!

Course Side

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade plum jam

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Let jars cool 1 day day

Total Time 1 day day 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 jars

Calories 454kcal

Author Trish - Mom On Timeout

Ingredients

  • 12 cups plums prepared, chopped
  • 12 cups granulated sugar
  • 9 tbsp lemon juice
  • 13 1/2 tbsp pectin
  • 1/4 tsp butter

Instructions

  • Rinse the fruit. You want to start with really clean fruit because in this recipe we won’t be removing the skins -hallelujah! The skins mostly kind of dissolve during the cooking process and are unnoticeable in the final product. One less step for us and more vitamins and nutritional value in the jam!

  • Prep the fruit. Using a paring knife, remove the cheeks of the plum and then cut off the top and bottom. Make sure to pare away any bruises or other blemishes on the fruit. Cut the fruit into small pieces so they will cook down faster. Stir frequently.

  • Cook the fruit. Throw all of the fruit into a heavy-bottomed pot and start cooking. Add in the lemon juice now. For every 1 1/3 cups of prepared fruit, you need to add 3 tsp of bottled lemon juice. I let my fruit cook down for 10-15 minutes before adding in the pectin. Stir frequently.

  • Add in the pectin and butter. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat. Stir constantly.

  • Add the sugar. Stir to dissolve and return the mixture to a full rolling boil.

  • Boil hard for EXACTLY ONE MINUTE stirring constantly and then remove from heat.

  • Skim foam. I didn’t have a lot of foam but I noticed that what skins hadn’t dissolved were hanging out with the foam and they got tossed too.

  • Prepare the waterbath canner, jars and lids. This should be done while the jam is being made. I boiled all components to make sure they were sanitized completely. I know many people run them through the dishwasher and that’s fine too.

  • Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars using a funnel. Trust me. Funnels keep the mess to a minimum and keep you from getting burned. Handle all jars with care because they are HOT. Leave 1/4 inch headspace and wipe the rims of the jars. Place the lids on the jars and finger tighten the bands.

  • Next it’s time to place the jars in the canner. The jars need to be covered by at least 1-2 inches of water. Place the lid on the canner and bring water to a boil. Process the jars for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let jars stand for 5 minutes before removing.

  • Let the jars cool for 24 hours. Check the lids for a proper seal by pressing on the center. The lid should not flex at all. Loosen the band to prevent any moisture from being trapped and store. You’ve just jammed!

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 108g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg

Homemade Plum Jam Recipe - Mom On Timeout (2024)

FAQs

How do you reduce tartness in plum jam? ›

Continue stirring the plums and sugar until the fruit starts to turn translucent. At this time, taste for sweetness. Take a small amount of the (still liquid) jam in a teaspoon, cool and taste it. If it tastes too sour for your liking, add a teaspoon or two more of sugar and continue cooking.

When making jam when do you add lemon juice? ›

Once the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the jam returns to its earlier consistency, about another 5 minutes.

Why is my plum jam not setting? ›

Jam that was not heated to 104C-105C will not be set. In this is the case, heat the jam again. Use a jam thermometer to check when it reaches temperature. However, if the jam has been heated sufficiently, but still did not set, then it requires more pectin and acid.

How do you thicken plum jam? ›

Add pectin.

Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam. Test for thickness and add another tablespoon if needed. Learn More About Pectin: What's the Deal with Pectin?

What cancels tart flavor? ›

If your dish tastes too sour try to add sweetness—think sugar, honey (it's healthy!), cream or even caramelized onions. You can also dilute the dish (same as you would with a dish with too much salt). As a last resort, add a pinch of baking soda to make the dish more alkaline.

What cancels out tartness? ›

How Do You Neutralize Sour Taste in Food? If a dish is too sour, add a little bit of sugar! Sweetness balances out sour flavors, so if something makes your mouth pucker, a dash of sugar may help soften the blow of the sour food.

How do you make jam less tart? ›

If it's too tart, add more sugar (or honey, or maple syrup). You can add flavorings (spices, vanilla bean, booze, tea, herbs) if you want to zip things up. Or leave it plain, though I often add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors.

How do you take the bitterness out of jam? ›

If the aftertaste is too bitter and you can't remove the bitterness from the jam, prick the oranges and boil them for about 40 minutes, drain and cover with cold water. Soak them for 12-15 hours and change the water from time to time.

How do you mellow Tartness? ›

How to Make Food Less Acidic. Add a fat such as butter, heavy cream, sour cream, cheese, or olive oil to coat the tongue and physically block some of the acidity from your taste buds. You might also try adding a sweetener such as sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jamar Nader

Last Updated:

Views: 6610

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jamar Nader

Birthday: 1995-02-28

Address: Apt. 536 6162 Reichel Greens, Port Zackaryside, CT 22682-9804

Phone: +9958384818317

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Scrapbooking, Hiking, Hunting, Kite flying, Blacksmithing, Video gaming, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Jamar Nader, I am a fine, shiny, colorful, bright, nice, perfect, curious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.