I’m personally not a fan of savory type plum sauces as I don’t eat the plum sauce with meat or Thai food. But a spiced plum jam? Oh lovely!
Plum jam or Plum sauce, you choose!
I often omit the pectin in my jam recipes and just make a ‘sauce’. I use our home-canned sauces more for baking sweetbreads or in crepes (plus it reduces the cost of the pectin).
But if you want a jam definitely keep the pectin in there.
Plums for a Spiced Plum Jam
I’ve only made this with purple plums (Italian plums), I’m not sure how it would turn out with yellow plums.
I also often double or triple the batch, and use 250ml jars (1/2 pint) instead of the 500ml (1 pint) as I find it’s better for gift giving.
If you’re new to canning I highly recommend you read up on the home canning safety processes before using this recipe. Here’s a list of resources for you:
Plum Jam Canning Recipe for Spiced Plum Jam
(makes 4 x 1 pint/500ml jars)
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- 8 cups purple plums pitted & finely chopped
- 3 1/2 cups granulated sugar 700g
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 (3oz) packets liquid pectin I use Pomona’s pectin
Ingredients
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- Prepare water bath canner and get the jars & lids ready. Need a water bath canner? We bought this set and it’s perfect for beginners!
- Combine the plums & sugar in a large pot. Cook on medium heat allowing plum juices to release. Slowly bring to a boil and add lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Let the sauce cook over med-high heat for 15-20 mins stirring frequently until it looks syrupy.
- Add the pectin and bring to a strong boil for 5 mins until it’s thick and shiny. (be sure to read your pectin instructions as they differ in method).
- Remove the pot from the heat & ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids & rings and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 mins (adjust the time with altitude).
I often use a hand blender to chop up the plums after they’ve boiled down for a few mins and gotten soft (after removing the stem & pit).
Often omit the pectin entirely to make a ‘spicy plum sauce’ instead of a jam as I find it has more uses (like in baked sweet breads, on top of pancakes or inside crepes). I prefer canning them in 250ml jars (1/2pint) sizes instead of 500ml (1 pint) as they’re better for gift giving.
I hope you enjoyed this spiced plum jam recipe! I also made a plum jam with vanilla, using about 3-4 tbsp of single bourbon vanilla instead of the spice mix listed above.
Happy home-preserving everyone!
What is single bourbon vanilla, YUM…do you put that on breads?
Made this today! I had a bunch of small red plums from a neighbor, and I added some peaches because I didn’t have quite enough plums. It turned out delicious! But pitting the small plums took forever, next time I’ll use a cherry pitter.
I had a bunch of small red plums too, and I cooked the whole berry down, and strained out the juice, and made Jelly… Then I picked out the seeds of what was left and made fruit leather… The kids loved it… the only thing that was thrown out was the pits…
Before I attempt this, as an experienced canner, I need to ask- why TWO packs of pectin? Generally, a batch of jam (even with a low pectin fruit) will take one. Doesn’t two make this extremely firm and not jam-like? Would one be sufficient? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Janet,
I totally agree, the recipe is from the book ‘Food in Jars’ where it says 2 packets. I actually don’t like really firm jams and only use 1. I have omitted the pectin completely to make a sauce too, it depends on how thick you like your jams. 🙂
Thank you – that was my question as well. You mention liquid pectin. I have SureJell at the moment and it is a powder. Also don’t like a firm jam. Is there a difference between liquid pectin and powdered pectin?
Both will thicken up a jam or jelly and will often come with instructions for the amount needed. I’ve made this recipe as a sauce many many times as we love it in crepes or for making sweet plum bread. 🙂
How many jars does this recipe make as written? (pints or half-pints)
Hi Jodi, this recipes makes 4 x 1 pint/500ml jars. I’ve just edited it to add that info, thanks for letting me know I missed it 🙂
Is a water bath scanner the same as a pressure canner?
How long does this keep? Once I can it, can I just store in cool/dry place, or should it be refrigerated? If I want it to keep for a few months, should I freeze it?
Hi Ashley! It helps to know the basics of canning for this information. We store in a cool dry place for up to two years. Some people say canned goods can last longer, but I find it’s better to use within a year or so after canning. Freezer jam is sometimes different than canning jam, but most freezer fruit should be consumed in 6 months otherwise it will taste freezer burnt. After we open up a jar we usually use it within a month in the fridge.
Do you peel the plums at all or let the peel on it?
I’ve always left the peel on, however I use a hand blender to pulverize it so there are no chunks. 🙂
I would like to put the fresh fruit in the blender be cooking. Will that affect the jam and fruit butter?
I omitted the pectin as I wanted butter not jam and it turned out amazing. Easy recipe to use, I had a mix of purple, golden and rose plums but the flavor was wonderful…
Can I prep the plums a day ahead then start cooking it the next day?