Making Plum Jam...
I am setting out to make plum jam from some edible wild plums growing in our backyard. I found one recipe that calls for pectin and 7 cups of sugar, which seems like a lot of sugar. I've also found several recipes that call for half the sugar and no pectin.
Would it be bad (i.e. will someone get poisoned) if I use less sugar? If I reduce the sugar, will it not need the pectin?
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9 Comments:
No one is going to be poisoned with less sugar. The worse that can happen is that the jam may not gel as you would want, which isn't an entirely bad thing. Just make sure you process the jam as instructed if you intend to can it (e.g. correct processing time and enough acidity).
AnnieNT at 3:14PM on 09/09/09
Sugar doesn't prevent things like botulism, but it does help your jam keep longer in the fridge. If you're using a sugar sub or you're using a low-sugar recipe, you'll want a pectin that specifies it can be used for low/no-sugar jam, like Pomona's Universal Pectin. I use it with my agave-nectar jams and I've never had bad results.
producestories at 3:17PM on 09/09/09
Sure-Jell also makes a low/no sugar pectin product--I've used it with pretty good results. Good luck!
thehostess at 4:39PM on 09/09/09
I'd use sure-Jell. It's been a while since I made wild plum jam, but my (perhaps faulty) recollection is that there wasn't a ton of pectin in my plums and by the time it jelled the plums tasted overcooked. That's never a problem with sure jell, but you do generally have to use more sugar to fruit than you would with a straight cooked jam, but you're not evaporating as much water from the fruit as you would if you weren't adding pectin, so it may be the same.
You don't say how much fruit pulp you have, and that's the key, rather than the amount of sugar. Most recipes will call for basically equal amounts of sugar and fruit pectin.
lemonfair at 6:47PM on 09/09/09
Thanks for your feedback!
I'm sitting here cutting up these teenie little things and it occurred to me that the finished product could be really great as an accompaniment to soft and surface-ripened cheeses.
What do you think of adding a half cup of Prosecco to the batch as it cooks? Would than enhance the flavor or detract from it?
yayfood at 6:50PM on 09/09/09
I didn't add the Prosecco, I just followed the instructions on the Paloma's Universal Pectin package and it seems to have worked.
All the little jars are now popping shut as they cool! How exciting!
yayfood at 9:41PM on 09/09/09
oops- I meant equal amounts of sugar and fruit pulp, not fruit sugar. equal amounts of sugar and pectin would be a very bizarre thing.
lemonfair at 6:58AM on 09/10/09
I guess I'm a bit late, but for future use- when I make plum jam (and I did last week) I don't bother with pectin. I cut the plums in half, throw them (pit, skins and all) in a pot, add about 1/2 cup water just to get things going and simmer until they are very tender.
I pick out the pits, and push the rest through a sieve (if you have a foodmill this will go quicker, but a food processor just shreds the skin). For each cup of the puree, add 1/2 to 2/3 cups of sugar depending on how tart you like it and how tart the plums you are using are to begin with.
I cook it until it is as thick as I want it and add fresh lemon juice (maybe 1 lemon for each quart). That's pretty much it.
CatBoy at 12:25PM on 09/10/09
This recipe doesn't use any pectin, just sugar, fruit, lemon juice and ginger!: Microwave Ginger Plum Jam
Chew on That at 4:05PM on 09/11/09