Most of my family members have fruit trees and as a child, I felt so left out that I asked for 2 fruit trees for my birthday. My late Grandma Betty was a fantastic gardener and thanks to my Grandad I received over 5kgs of Victoria Plums from their tree. I always used to receive fresh jam from both of my grandmas and this seems like a fitting dedication to them both.
The recipe is low sugar, decreasing sugar to about 25% of what it would be normally, so keep cool either in the garage over winter or in the fridge. It should still last up to 6 months if kept sealed if you can manage to save it that long!
These jams make the perfect Christmas gifts and are a great way of using up surplus fruit in the early Autumn.
Ingredients
1 kg plums. I used Victoria plums and this weight includes stones.
250 grams sugar. I used raw granulated cane sugar.
50 grams of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped into small cubes.
50 grams of chopped crystalised ginger, I used the fiery ginger from Whitworth’s.
1 lemon cut into quarters, peel and rind on.
2-3 cinnamon sticks
You will need:
2-3 sterilised jars. I used some old jars that I sterilised by baking the jars and lids separately in the oven for 25mins at 120 degrees celsius after washing in hot soapy water. This recipe yielded about 500ml of jam.
2-3 discs of baking paper to put at the top of the jam jars
1 large, heavy-based pan
- 1 De-stone the plums and cut them in half. Keep aside 3 stones to add to the pot
- 2 To the pot add the ginger, plums and sugar and leave to macerate for 30mins at room temperature (Overnight is even better) adding 3 stones to the pot.
- 3 Once macerated bring the pot to the boil, occassionally stirring to prevent sugar catching on the sides of the pan.
- 4 Cook the mixture for 10 minutes and then add the lemons (which helps the jam set).
- 5 Cook for a further 35- 45 mins until the texture is pulpy and the jam has thickened to a loose jam consistency.
- 6 Once the jam is thickened, remove the lemons and the 3 stones. Jar the jam in the warm jars, straight from the oven and add a cinnamon stick to infuse. I wrapped mine in a kitchen towel.
- 7 Seal the jam jars as you go with a disc of baking powder between the jam and the lid.
- 8 Store in a cool, dry place and once opened keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
- 9 Enjoy on toast, porridge or use to glaze ham or gammon