Ginger and Gold Plum Jam

When I was just 3 feet away from a raccoon with a plum in its mouth, I figured it was time to pick...

...standing in the kitchen, I turned toward the window which the Gold Plum Tree leans against. The tree-trunk is a foot from the glass and there, putting a second plum in its mouth so it could retreat, was a raccoon in broad daylight. Nimbly, it went down the plum tree - head first!

Well, I squawked and, within hours, had 2 buckets of the beautiful fruit - and a glowing sunburn.


Early next morning, with the ladder restored to its place, a couple of plums still in the tree for the wildlife, and the picked plums washed and measured, I found a Ginger & Plum Jam recipe which seemed to call for a lesser amount of sugar. Since I'm not the expert jam-maker, I don't really know what the right amount is, though prefer to use less of the white stuff.

But now I know why there's so much; without the sugar, it's a bit like syrup instead of jam-firm. Never mind; it's still great!






For those wanting to give it a try, here's the recipe, which I made three batches of.

Plum Ginger Jam or Ginger Plum Jam
4 lbs ripe purple-skinned plums, pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 24 plums)
(*note: I used Golden Plums, unpitted, as they are clingstone, and measured 4 hefty cups instead of weight)
1/4 cup water
3 cups sugar
1 cup peeled, coarsely grated fresh ginger
1 cup candied ginger

Combine plums and water in a Dutch oven, and bring to a boil.
(*note: I used a very heavy bottomed pot; this helped prevent scorching)
Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until tender.
Stir in sugar and ginger.

Cook over medium heat 40 minutes, until thick or a candy thermometer reaches about 210.

Stir mixture occasionally. Do not overcook or mixture will scorch.

At this point you can cool it and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

And that's where the original recipe ends.
However, this is what I did:

I poured the mix into a colander and put on the rubber gloves.

Wading through the still hot jam, I strained the pits out with my hands and the use of the colander.

Pouring the mixture into jars while the lids were boiling in a pot of water on the stove, the end was in sight! By this time, the busy day had stretched into the afternoon, the temperature in the kitchen was around 90ºF+ and I, like my wicked sister, was melting, Melting, MELTING!

Next: instead of using a hot-water bath to seal the jars, I put them in the dishwasher. hmmm...
Yes, that's a tricky bit of business. Not all of the jars sealed, and those that did not are in the fridge and will be eaten post-haste - guaranteed! In future I'll use the hot-water bath on the stove.

Final step: labels. I make most of my own, and just happened to be doing some artsy-fartsy photos in the back yard with slow shutter speeds, blowing leaves, and a sunset. At right is the page of labels, now on most of the jars.

All in all, I'm very happy with the product - mostly because I've made something edible which is from the place here, and I survived! Yay!
Sandra