My Danish Kitchen

Strawberry Plum Jam

Strawberries! The berry that signifies the beginning of Summer. Here is a strawberry and plum jam which I made over the weekend. It is sweet and delicious but I couldn’t really appreciate the plum flavor. The strawberries turned out to be the star of this jam and I don’t mind that at all. This is Spring in a jar, which will carry me well into Fall.

How to peel a plum: cut and X, pour boiling water over and let sit 30-40 seconds, drop plums into ice water, lift peel off from the corner of the X

Strawberry Plum Jam makes 6, 8 oz jars or 1/2 pint jars

Ingredients: 

650 grams fresh strawberries, cut into large dice (23 oz or 4 cups diced)

400 grams fresh red plums, large dice (6 plums)

59 milliliter fresh lemon juice (2 fl oz or 1/4 cup, approx. 1 large juicy lemon)

1000 grams sugar (35 oz)

15 grams fruit pectin (2 tablespoons)

Directions:

Prepare strawberries but removing to leafy top and cut into a large dice. Peel skin off plums by first cutting an X in the top of each plum, then pour boiling water over plums, let sit for 40 seconds. Place plums into ice water, let sit for another 30 seconds or so, then using a small knife, simply pull peel off starting at the X. Cut plum meat away from the pit and cut into large dice. Set fruit aside.

Wash mason jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly.

To sterilize jars you can use a canning pot which comes with a wire rack, or if you don’t have a canning pot, you can use a large stock pot and place a trivet or a folded up clean towel in the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with hot water and place clean jars upright into the water making sure they are covered by 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Boil for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and let jars sit in the hot water until ready to use. Note: jars must be hot when the hot jam is filled into them. Place lids and rings into a heatproof dish making sure to spread them out so they don’t clump together. Fill dish with hot water and let the lids sit in water until ready to use.

In a large cooking pot, combine strawberries, plums, lemon juice and fruit pectin. Bring fruit to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar, return to a boil and continue cooking, while stirring constantly, for another 10 minutes. Remove fruit from heat and skim off the foam thoroughly (it makes for a pretty, clear jam). Ladle hot jam into sterilized hot jars, leaving no more that 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean with a moist paper towel and put on lids.

Place jars back into the hot water, which was used to sterilize jars. Bring water back up to a boil and process filled jars for another 10 minutes. Transfer them to a clean towel-lined surface where they can sit undisturbed 12 to 24 hours. Lids may make a popping sound as the jars cool, this is a sign of an airtight seal. Test the seals 24 hours after heat processing by pressing down on the center of each lid with your finger. If the lid does not move or pop, the jar is sealed. Label and store in a cool, dark place and refrigerate after opening.

Source: My Danish Kitchen