What can be nicer than a gift of plum jam which has been carefully made by someone you know? Last week I was in London visiting my two brothers. As I left my older brother Martin's house, he pressed a jar of amber coloured mirabelle plum jam into my hand.
It came in handy as a hunger pang struck this afternoon. I took the jam from the pantry, broke the seal and removed the wax paper disc. I smeared it over slices of chewy textured Swiss stick from Bettys, Ilkley.
It's a convenient reminder to get ahead with some last minute jam making while you can still find English plums in the shops, or lying around in the garden. It really is straightforward to make and heavenly to eat.
To make plum jam
3 kg plums
600 ml water
3 kg granulated sugar
If the plums are large, cut them in half to remove the stones. If the plums are small you can leave them whole and skim their stones as they surface from the cooking jam.
Place the fruit into a large, heavy based stainless steel saucepan or jam pan. Add the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Stir in the sugar until it is completely dissolved. Increase the heat and boil the jam for about 20 minutes until setting point is reached. At this point you can use a slatted spoon to remove any plum stones that surface.
Setting point is reached when a dribble of hot jam on a cold plate crinkles when you push it with a finger nail. If the jam has not quite reached setting point, boil for another five minutes and test again. Continue this process until setting temperature has been reached.
Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon the jam into sterilised jars and insert a disc of waxed paper into the neck of the jar. Seal with a cellophane top and label carefully.
...and just to remind us Autumn is on its way - a watercolour sketch by my other brother Peter.....gorgeous!
