cooking · Preserving

Honey Plum Jam

If you love jam that is nearly all fruit, Pomona’s Pectin is the way to go. You can produce a very lightly sweetened jam. While my recipe calls for 1 cup honey, you can go as low as ¾ cup with the honey, although if your plums are a bit on the lesser sweet side, go higher! Each box of Pomona’s has extensive directions, and also lists choices for using granulated sugar and other sweeteners. Have fun!

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Honey Plum Jam

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups pitted, and finely chopped Italian Plums*
  • ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 6 tsp calcium water*
  • 1 cup honey
  • 4½ tsp pectin powder

Directions:

*Pomona’s Pectin is a little different from other pectin. To start, each box has 2 packets. The small one is calcium powder. Mix ½ tsp (basically the packet) with ½ cup filtered water. I do this in a small mason jar, seal and shake to dissolve. Store in refrigerator, it lasts for months. Just shake before using.

*I washed and dried the plums, split in half and removed pits. Then I chopped them in my food processor until finely chopped, then measure. I bought about 2 pounds to be sure I had enough.

Wash jars, with bands and new lids, in hot, soapy water. Rinse well, and drain on a clean kitchen towel. Add jars to the rack of a canning kettle, fill pot halfway, bring to a simmer. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, turn off heat, add in lids and rings, set aside.

In a large pot, add measured plums, lemon juice and calcium water. In a small bowl, stir dry pectin into the honey, setting aside.

Bring the plums to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Add in the pectin/honey. Stir well to combine, continuing to stir as it comes back to a full boil (it will take 1 to 3 minutes). Once it returns to a boil, take off heat.

Drain jars, and place on a clean kitchen towel. Using a clean ladle, pour into jars. Run a sterilized chopstick or plastic bubble remover through the jam, adding more if needed. Fill up to ¼” of the top. Put a lid on and a band, finger tight. Add jars to canning kettle, making sure jars are covered, bring water to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes (see the above link for higher altitude canning). Take out jars, let cool on a clean dry kitchen towel. Once cooled, check that lids are flat and sealed. If any are not, just refrigerate and use within 3 weeks.

Made 8 jelly sized jars.

Store jars in a cool and dark location, for up to 1 year.


One thought on “Honey Plum Jam

  1. Turns out wonderful! I left out the cinnamon after the first batch, since the plums and honey were already fragrant enough for me. I also only got 6 jelly jars per batch, if I really squished each cup full of minced fruit.
    The jam really sets as it cools, so don’t worry if it seems a bit runny while filling the jars.

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