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    Home » Preserves

    Published on: July 30, 2014 by Janice; Updated on: October 8, 2021 5 Comments

    Plum jam

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Homemade plum jam flavoured with tea and spices

    This easy plum jam recipe makes a small batch without pectin that you can easily can in a water bath on the stove. Feel free to make it plain, or you can flavour it with cinnamon or even Earl Grey tea leaves.

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    plum jam with cinnamon

    Jams to make in the summer

    Summer calls for making preserves. Each month, focus on one fruit and by the end of the summer, you'll have a rainbow of jams to enjoy year-round:

    • In the early summer months, the most obvious jam to make is rhubarb jam (no pectin) and also honey apricot jam
    • Mid summer, focus on the berries, like this strawberry red currant jam and this blueberry jam
    • At the end of the summer, make this spiced apple jam and the plum jam featured here
    Spiced plum jam

    Steps for perfect plum jam

    Plum jam is easy. Here's a breakdown of the steps:

    1. Prepare the fruit, washing and drying it, then chopping it into small pieces.
    2. Macerate the fruit, mixing it with sugar, which draws out the water and helps break down the fruit so that your jam will boil quickly and the sugar will be all dissolved.
    3. Boil the jam until you reach the jam setting point. You can use a thermometer to help judge the set, but also a frozen plate test. It's just like determining the marmalade setting point so watch the jam as it boils: the bubbles will be more stable when you approach the perfect set.
    3 steps to perfect plum jam

    Ways to flavour plum jam

    Plum jam is great plain, but why not try infusing it? You can infuse it with your favourite tea or spices, like cinnamon or cardamom.

    Adding spices like cinnamon yields a plum jam that tastes like plum pie filling. It's amazing the flavour you can get out of just one cinnamon stick.

    Spiced plum jam with toast

    Canning tools to make your jam-making easier

    Don't forget, if you are afraid of home canning, or if you don't have the proper tools, I have product reviews on the blog for a home canning starter kit that you can purchase from Amazon to get you going (tool kit on Amazon & starter kit from Bernardin on Amazon). Make sure to have a probe thermometer to take away the guessing of when the jam is cooked enough. I own a pink Thermapen which is very fast at registering temperatures and temperature changes, but the Thermoworks Dot can be used hands-free so would be more appropriate here.

    • Thermoworks DOT probe thermometer
    • Thermoworks Thermapen Mk4
    • Thermoworks ThermoPop

    The basic plum jam recipe is adapted from Camilla Wynne's book Preservation Society Home Preserves (available on Amazon).

    I like to use a thermometer when I boil a batch of jam: the thermometer allows you to monitor the temperature of the jam, thus ensuring you achieve a high enough temperature so your jam will set when it cools. This is the jam setting point. You can also use the plate test (also known as wrinkle test) by dolloping jam on a frozen saucer.

    A jar of plum jam served with toast.
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    5 from 1 vote

    Plum jam

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Homemade plum jam is a a fabulous treat for breakfast. You can make it plain, or flavour it with cinnamon, or infuse it with Earl Grey tea flavour
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Keyword plum jam
    Prep Time 1 hour
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings 4 jars
    Calories 35kcal
    Author Janice

    Equipment

    Big pot
    Thermoworks DOT probe thermometer
    DOT thermometer
    Mason jars
    Canning kit

    Ingredients

    • 1.25 kg (2¾ lb) Italian plums pitted and diced
    • 450 g (2¼ cups) granulated sugar
    • 65 mL (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice

    Flavour options (choose one or the other, or neither)

    • 1 cinnamon stick optional
    • 22.5 mL (1½ tablespoon) loose leaf Earl Grey tea optional

    Instructions

    • In a medium bowl, combine the chopped plums, sugar, lemon juice and flavour (either a cinnamon stick OR the Earl Grey tea leaves wrapped in a cheesecloth to form a make-shift tea bag). Stir everything together and let rest on the counter for 6 to 8 hours, stirring every so often. The juices from the plums will form a syrup with the sugar as it dissolves.
    • At the end of the day, stir once more and then cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
    • The next day, transfer the macerated plum mixture to a large pot and heat on medium–high to bring it to a boil, stirring often.
    • Skim off any foam as needed and continue to boil/stir until the jam has thickened (I boiled one batch to 215ºF and the other to 217ºF). The jam is probably thick enough when it starts spitting at you.
    • Remove the cinnamon stick or the Earl Grey tea bag from the pot. Transfer the hot jam to hot, sterilized 250-mL mason jars using your handy canning tool kit available on Amazon, leaving ¼" headspace. Cover with clean, sterilized snap lids. If a jar isn't filled full, put it in the fridge to enjoy right away.
    • Process in a large boiling water batch for 5 minutes, then leave them another 5 minutes, still in the canning pot but off the heat before transferring the jars to a clean towel on the counter.
    • Let the jars rest overnight before labelling and storing them.

    Notes

    For the Earl Grey tea, use a good quality tea. I suggest Kusmi, for example, which you can buy on Amazon .
    This recipe is adapted from the Preservation Society book on preserves, available on Amazon.
    Remember that checking the temperature of your batch of jam as it cooks with a thermometer can help you determine if you have hit the jam setting point. Use a digital probe thermometer for faster readings, like the Thermoworks Dot which will register changes in temperature in 3 seconds or less!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @bakesomethingawesome or tag #bakesomethingawesome!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 35kcal
    « Guide to canning and the home starter canning kit
    Jam thumbprint cookies »
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    Comments

    1. Deb says

      July 30, 2014 at 12:10 pm

      Plum jam is a favorite of mine. A dollop on top of plain yogurt is just sublime! I'm daydreaming of the Earl Grey version, but I imagine cinnamon is a lively contender for my morning toast!

      Reply
      • Mary McNeill says

        October 26, 2019 at 2:12 pm

        I made peach jam with Earl Grey tea and it was zowwy. I soaked a EG tea bag in the cut up peaches overnight and cooked up the next morning. The EG really had a chance to spread it's flavour. I also did blueberry jam with lime again a zowwy. Just thought I"d tell you.

        Reply
    2. Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.) says

      July 31, 2014 at 6:27 am

      Janice this looks wonderful. My nana used to make the best plum jam and it always makes me think of her. Of course, I need that canning kit now 😉

      Reply
    3. Stephanie says

      August 01, 2014 at 1:21 pm

      Yum yum yum!! I love making jam.. and plum is one of my favvorites. Beautiful photos (as always)

      Reply
    4. carrie says

      August 29, 2014 at 7:34 pm

      Oh my - this looks amazing. Could I double the recipe?

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Janice! I am a baking-obsessed recipe developer with a PhD in Chemistry who writes about baking and the science of baking.

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