My Freezer Plum Jam was a result of a gift from my neighbor.
I’m the one that usually arrives at my neighbor’s doors with goodies in hand to taste test. I was in the midst of packaging up my donuts to pass out, and my doorbell rang. It was my neighbor with an enormous bag of plums from his tree.
The plums were small but very flavorful. There were way too many plums for my husband and me to eat. Not wanting the plums to spoil, I decided to make a quick freezer plum jam that required very little cooking time. The other reason I chose this method was I did not want to heat up the kitchen on a hot day.
Homemade Freezer Plum Jam
Ingredients: Makes 5 to 6 4oz. Freezer canning jars
- 2 ½ pounds fresh ripe plums
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Directions:
Place a small plate and spoon in the freezer. Sterilize 6 – 4 oz jars, lids and bands and set aside.
Wash and dry the plums. Remove the pits and medium to fine dice the fruit. In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced plums, sugar, salt, lemon and lemon zest and stir to incorporate the ingredients. Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Let boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally, cook for 20 minutes.
At this point, start testing for doneness. Using the frozen plate and spoon, place a small amount of the fig jam on the chilled plate. Place the dish back in the refrigerator for 1 minute. Then run your finger through the mixture. If it forms a firm line that holds it shape on the sides, it’s done. If not, clean the plate and spoon and place them back in the freezer and repeat this process until you’ve reached a proper level of thickness.
Using a canning funnel, pour the hot mixture into 5 or 6 4 oz. Freezer canning jars. Leave about ½ inch headspace at the top of each jar. Let the filled jar cool on the counter for 30 to 40 minutes. Once cooled, label, date and store in the refrigerator up to a month or freeze for up to 12 months.
The plum jam will keep frozen for up to 12 months. When you’re ready to use the plum jam, thaw one of the jars in the refrigerator overnight.
Notes: The amount of time it takes to reach the right thickness is not an exact science. It all depends on the amount of moisture in the fruit. You use a blender instead of hand dicing, but remember, the longer you pulse the plums the smoother and more jelly-like the result will be. I prefer my jams a bit rustic in texture with a few lumps. You may use 8 oz. freezer jars. I just prefer making my jams in small batches; I can always open another jar.
Ripe plums are always best, they can be a bit messy, but their flavor makes for a better end product. If your plums are still a bit hard or under-ripe, just leave them out for a few days before you use them.
If your jam comes out a bit too runny, don’t despair, it’s rare, but it does happen sometimes. It can be used as a fabulous ice cream topping, or on pancakes or waffles. Heck, I’ve been known to use it, runny or not, on my toast or my homemade freezer biscuits.
As you might imagine, I made way more freezer plum jam than we could eat, three batches to be exact. You guessed it; off I went to deliver these little gems to my neighbors including the one that gave me the plums in the first place. My friend and neighbor was thrilled. I would venture to say I’ll be seeing him at my door with a big smile and more plums in hand. 🙂
Time to eat…
If you enjoyed my “Freezer Plum Jam,” check out my Homemade Raspberry or Blackberry Jam, Fresh Fig Jam, and these Brandied Cherries. Enjoy.
P.S. Take a moment to check out some of the tools I used for this “Freezer Plum Jam” below. 🙂