Season: August to September. Plums make a lovely jam and are rich in pectin and easy to prepare, so this is a great recipe for beginners. Just make sure the plums are tender and their skins well softened before adding the sugar. If not, the sugar hardens the skins and they’ll be tough in the finished jam; they will also float to the top of the jar.

　　

Ingredients

makes ten 8-ounce jars

　　3 pounds, 6 ounces plums (see p. 202)

　　6 1/4 cups granulated sugar

　　

Step 1

Halve and pit the plums. Crack open a few of the pits using a nutcracker and extract the kernels. Put these into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for a minute or so, then drain them and rub off the reddish brown skins. The kernels will add a lovely almond like flavor to the jam.

　　

Step 2

Put the plums, skinned kernels, and 1 3/4 cups of water into a preserving pan. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is tender and the skins soft–this should take about 20 minutes but depends on the variety and size of plum.

　　

Step 3

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly until the setting point is reached (see p. 41), usually 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat. If the fruit is bobbing about at the surface, it’s probably not cooked well enough (the sugar is heavier than the plums, and the jam must cook sufficiently for the fruit to absorb the sugar). If this happens, boil for a further 2 to 4 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Pot the jam and seal (see pp. 21–22). Use within 1 year.

　　

VARIATION

Step 5

Replace some of the water with freshly squeezed orange juice and/or add 2 cinnamon sticks. Another nice twist is to add 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts to the jam toward the end of the boiling time.

　　The River Cottage Preserves Handbook by Pam Corbin.Pam Corbin has been making preserves for as long as she can remember, and for more than twenty years her passion has been her business. Pam and her husband, Hugh, moved to Devon where they bought an old pig farm and converted it into a small jam factory. Using only wholesome, seasonal ingredients, their products soon became firm favorites with jam-lovers the world over. Pam has now hung up her professional wooden spoon but continues to "jam" at home. She also works closely with the River Cottage team, making seasonal goodies using fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers from her own garden, and from the fields and hedgerows.