Plum Jam Recipe Without Pectin

Steps:

• Place the plums and water into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar, and add butter to reduce foaming, if needed. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly, and then mix in the pectin quickly. Return the jam to a full boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim off and discard any foam.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the plum jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/8 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area. Refrigerate opened jars for up to 3 weeks.

Steps:

• Place the chopped plums, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, ginger and salt in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, pressing down on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Reserve the solids.
• Return the strained juices to the sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Boil until a candy thermometer reads 220 degrees (the gel stage). Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the reserved solids.
• Transfer the jam to sterile jars, or freeze whatever jam you don't intend to use right away.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Place the prepared plums in a large bowl and pour the orange juice over. Stir to coat and let it macerate for 15 minutes.
• In a large pot, add a quarter of the plum mixture and cover it with 1 cup of sugar. Repeat with another ¼ of fruit then cover with another cup of sugar and continue until all the fruit and sugar is inches.
• Set the heat to medium and stir very well until the sugar is melted, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Increase the heat to high and when the mixture just starts to boil and creates some foam on the surface, turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer gently for 40 minutes, stirring often.
• About half an hour later, using an immersion blender, process until most pieces are chopped leaving some little chunks in it. Scoop up any foam and discard it.
• Do a test by plunging a spoon in the mixture that was sitting in an ice water bowl and then dried off, and scoop up some jam. Let it cool off at room temperature and if it lightly sets up, the jam is ready. Keep in mind that as the jam cools off, it will get thicker.
• Remove from the heat and right away, fill up the sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch head space. Seal and transfer jars into a boiling water bath. Make sure the jars are covered with at least 1 inch of water.
• When the water returns to a full boil, start the timer for 10 minutes.
• Lift jars and transfer them on a wire rack away from any draft to cool completely, about 12 hours. Makes 8 -250 ml jars.