If you love jam that is nearly all fruit, Pomona’s Pectin is the way to go. You can produce a very lightly sweetened jam. While my recipe calls for 1 cup honey, you can go as low as ¾ cup with the honey, although if your plums are a bit on the lesser sweet side, go higher! Each box of Pomona’s has extensive directions, and also lists choices for using granulated sugar and other sweeteners. Have fun!
Honey Plum Jam
Ingredients:
- 6 cups pitted, and finely chopped Italian Plums*
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 6 tsp calcium water*
- 1 cup honey
- 4½ tsp pectin powder
Directions:
*Pomona’s Pectin is a little different from other pectin. To start, each box has 2 packets. The small one is calcium powder. Mix ½ tsp (basically the packet) with ½ cup filtered water. I do this in a small mason jar, seal and shake to dissolve. Store in refrigerator, it lasts for months. Just shake before using.
*I washed and dried the plums, split in half and removed pits. Then I chopped them in my food processor until finely chopped, then measure. I bought about 2 pounds to be sure I had enough.
Wash jars, with bands and new lids, in hot, soapy water. Rinse well, and drain on a clean kitchen towel. Add jars to the rack of a canning kettle, fill pot halfway, bring to a simmer. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, turn off heat, add in lids and rings, set aside.
In a large pot, add measured plums, lemon juice and calcium water. In a small bowl, stir dry pectin into the honey, setting aside.
Bring the plums to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Add in the pectin/honey. Stir well to combine, continuing to stir as it comes back to a full boil (it will take 1 to 3 minutes). Once it returns to a boil, take off heat.
Drain jars, and place on a clean kitchen towel. Using a clean ladle, pour into jars. Run a sterilized chopstick or plastic bubble remover through the jam, adding more if needed. Fill up to ¼” of the top. Put a lid on and a band, finger tight. Add jars to canning kettle, making sure jars are covered, bring water to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes (see the above link for higher altitude canning). Take out jars, let cool on a clean dry kitchen towel. Once cooled, check that lids are flat and sealed. If any are not, just refrigerate and use within 3 weeks.
Made 8 jelly sized jars.
Store jars in a cool and dark location, for up to 1 year.
Turns out wonderful! I left out the cinnamon after the first batch, since the plums and honey were already fragrant enough for me. I also only got 6 jelly jars per batch, if I really squished each cup full of minced fruit.
The jam really sets as it cools, so don’t worry if it seems a bit runny while filling the jars.