Lauren’s favorite new recipe for a great jam which tastes a lot like strawberry rhubarb, using wild plums here in Colorado. My cousin, Jeremy, used Minnesota wild plums and substituted 1/2 the sugar with honey and says his tastes like raspberry jam. I fondly remember his dad giving us honey from hives on their family farm when I was growing up.
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs. Native American plums
- 1 c. water
- 5 c. sugar (or substitute half of the sugar with honey)
- 1-2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 3oz. packet of pectin, we like Certo brand, but any brand will do
In a stockpot, bring to a boil 5 pounds plums and 1 c. water, then cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes (you can beat them up withe back of a spoon a little while stirring occasionally to make it easier for the pits to be removed). Put a strainer over a bowl and gradually process with rubber gloved hands and using a spoon to crush, working in small batches to remove all pits. [Make sure to remove all pits, as they are very bitter and mildly toxic if eaten in large doses, as are all pitted fruit such as plums, apricots, etc., especially if you are using a blender in the next step, as you don’t want to crush them up and ruin your batch.]
Return liquid to the pan, use boat motor immersion blender to process into the consistency you prefer, we like it a little chunky (if you don’t have an immersion blender, just use the back of a spoon or a potato masher). Add 5 cups of sugar and bring to rolling boil, stirring constantly, and then add 3 oz. pectin; continue to stir constantly for a few minutes. Add 1-2 T. lemon juice.
Remove from the heat; skim off any foam. Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. head space. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner bath pot.
