Sooo… you know how I said last week that I like to turn fruit into syrup and jam? Well, here we are. I’m sure you’re not surprised. It is plum season after all.
Plum jam reminds me of home. It just makes my heart feel all fuzzy and warm. If it were up to me I’d change the dictionary definition of “home” from what it is to “plum jam cooking on the stove”. And then I’d move to Vermont.
If any of you have seen Scandal, then you know about the fantasy Olivia and Fitz share about having a house in Vermont where they’d just cook jam all day long. That’s a nice fantasy to have, isn’t it? I sometimes think about living like that, some place outside the city, with almost no traffic or lights, just the sound of trees and moonlight.
But let’s continue with that fantasy some other day, I have to talk to you about this jam now. First, I just want to say that I think making jam at home is such a cool thing to do. It really is. I know there’s this stereotype of grandmothers making jam but you can be a 20-something jam-making rockstar, you know?
And making jam is easier than it looks, however I’ll admit right now that I never used to do it. Partly because I just don’t have the room for jars upon jars of jam. And partly because a part of me was afraid. What if I mess it up? Ruin all that fruit? Those are some scary thoughts. But I got over my fear and I started making small batches of quick jam. Also, I’m not that good at saving things for later anyway.
So if you’re like me and want to make some no-fuss jam that you can finish on your own…then you need to make this small batch plum quick jam. It’s exactly what the name suggests. You get a small batch of jam that you have to use up in about 3 weeks, which shouldn’t be a problem. And it’s so quick to make. You just cook the fruit and sugar together, mash it a bit and that’s it.
Now, this small batch plum quick jam recipe really makes a small batch, but it’s big enough that you can enjoy the jam in many different ways. I love to put it on bread over some butter, because that is like the definition of childhood for me. And comfort. Then I love it on pancakes, yogurt and porridge. You could even use it in baking! There are so many options.
Let’s start jamming!
Recipe
Small batch plum quick jam
Ingredients
- 560 g 1.2 pounds plums, stoned and roughly chopped
- 60 ml 1/4 cup water
- 400 g 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Put plums and water in saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until plums are tender and their color has changed from blue-purple to a deeper red. Whisk in the sugar and let it dissolve without boiling. Keep cooking on medium for 5 minutes and stir occasionally.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, bring mixture to a boil and add the lemon. Keep cooking until the plums start falling apart, about 10 minutes and as they do, mash them with a potato/fruit masher.
- Keep cooking until the jam coats the back of your spoon. It’ll still be runny, but will thicken some more once it cools.
- Remove jam from heat and pour into clean jars. Cover with lid and let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Store for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
Oh man I must get my hands on some more plums…that toast looks amazing!
Definitely try to! If you get a good deal, you could even freeze some. 🙂
And thanks!
Thank you so much! I eat low-carb, so I made it with xylitol and added a sprinkle of xanthan gum (instead of corn starch) to solidify it. It’s delicious!
Hi Denise, thank you for sharing your substitutions with us, in case anyone wants to do that as well! 🙂
I’m happy you enjoyed the jam.
xo
I moved into my new house with a plum tree full of curly leaf and half dead. I have nurtured it back to a beautiful fruit producing Santa rosa plum tree. Now, I have so much fruit and after all the work I put into it, I don’t want a single plum going to waste. Sooo time to try my hand at Jam. Now, I grew I watching my grandma, mom, and aunts spending days in the kitchen making jelly and canning, I just dont have that kind of time!
This recipe looks perfect, for my delima… hehe
Cant wait to try it! I will keep you posted, making jam tomorrow!
Oooh so happy to hear you were able to save your plum tree, Connie! That’s really cool 🙂
Happy jam making!
I will use this easy recipe again, for sure! Every bit as good as my grandmas plum Jelly with half the work. I used Santa rosa plums which have a lot more water than Italian plumbs so I omitted the water and used 2tbls ofstarch. Turned out perfect.
This totally made my day, Connie!! So happy to read the jam was a success 🙂
thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing!
By the way, my mom swears it’s BETTER than grandma’s.
I had to pop back on to share that..hehe
Can’t wait to explore more of your recieps. Thank ?
Oh wow, that is such a compliment!! Thank you, Connie & mom! <3
Did you use the same amount of xylitol as sugar?
My son and I are trying out this recipe – no idea which plums we have but no One will eat them.
Learn8ng a new skill during RSAs lockdown
Any plums work, Beth! 🙂 Just cook them long enough, until they’re falling apart. Ripeness and variety can affect cooking time, but other than that you’re good to go 🙂
When would I add the cornstarch to thicken it?
Hi Chelsea,
once the fruit has fallen apart and you’re still cooking the jam.
Mix 1-2 tablespoons (two will give thicker results) of cornstarch with equal amounts of cold water. Once this mixture is smooth with no lumps, stir it into the jam. Bring to a boil and keep cooking and stirring for a few minutes, until the jam is thicker and you can’t taste the starch anymore.
Remove from heat and pour into jars.
Used your recipe exactly and did add a 1/2 bag of pectin as the friend who gave me the plums had frozen them so they had plenty of juice. They came out wonderful, 3 jelly/jam jars worth.
So happy to hear this, Melissa! And what a wonderful friend you have 🙂
Turned out great!! I added the 2Tbsp. Cornnstarch.
So happy to hear that! 🙂
Does this have to be refrigerated? Or once it’s in the jar can it be put in the cupboard?
Hi Kourey,
yes, you should refrigerate it! Because this is a quick jam, made differently and way quicker than a regular jam, I wouldn’t feel 100% comfortable with storage at room temperature. If you do make any extra quick jam and want to keep it for later, you can freeze it.
Regular jam-making is more elaborate to make the shelf-life longer, but even with that, an opened jam is best kept in the refrigerator.
Hope this helps!
Very, very good! The only changes I made were (1) less sugar and (2) I grated a peeled Granny Smith apple and added to mixture as a substitute for pectin. Worked great! I will make this recipe again, for sure.
Thank you, Louise!
Love how you used a Granny Smith apple!!
Have you ever tried to can this recipe?
Hi Paula, not this one. I do make my own “classic” plum jam, with bigger quantities of ingredients and a longer cooking time, but I don’t see why the recipe I posted wouldn’t work.
I use the water bath canning method, leave the jars in the water for about 15 minutes, then let them cool on the kitchen counter overnight, wrapped in a kitchen towel.
I do have some plums at home at the moment and am actually planning on making this quick jam in the following days. I’ll share the process on my Instagram. I’ll also can a jar or two to test this out for you and update this post with extra notes. Although I might be too late, in case you need the results ASAP in which case I’m sorry.
Hope this was of any help!
I only had about 7 small plums, but made this anyway because I didn’t want the fruit to go to waste. I adjusted recipe using smaller proportions. I used some sugar and some Stevie. It’s delicious!
So happy you like the recipe, Carolyn! 🙂
if you are using santa rosa plums, how much water should be used? I saw on one of the comments that these types of plums are juicier than other types? I saw where a person said they substituted cornstarch, but was not sure about the exact amount. thank you.
Hi Nicole, I did some reading and it appears that Santa Rosa plums are indeed juicier.
Some of the juice can get reduced just by cooking them. You only want to add cornstarch once the plums have fallen apart.
You can add 1 tablespoon for a pretty good consistency (keep in mind the jelly will thicken more as it cools) or 2 tablespoons for a thick jam.
How to add cornstarch: Mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with equal amounts of cold water. Once this mixture is smooth with no lumps, stir it into the jam. Bring to a boil and keep cooking and stirring for a few minutes, lowering the heat if needed so it’s not spluttering around, until the jam is thicker and you can’t taste the starch anymore.
hope this helps!
What about the skins? A friend gave me some plums from her tree, they are small but skins remind me of Santa Rosa type.
Hi Debi,
the skins will soften with cooking. You first chop the plums, so the pieces will be smaller. And then they break down with cooking.
If you’re not a fan of the bits of skins, you can puree the mixture with a hand blender (instead of using a potato/fruit masher) and then continue with the cooking. This will give you a smoother jam.
Hope this helps!
I only used 1 c sugar for 1.5 lb plums. that is plenty. 2 c would be waaaay too much. Is anyone else finding that? Still used 1/4 c water and 3 tsp lemon + 1/2 pouch pectin and came out great.
Could a person use this same recipe to make fresh cherry jam? Do you have a recipe for small batch cherry jam? I made this plum jam last year, it was delicious. Thanks
Hi Nicole,
I don’t have a separate cherry jam recipe, but you can definitely use this one! The timing could be different, since cherries are smaller and you might have to adjust the sugar, depending on the cherries. But otherwise this recipe should work with any fruit, but especially cherries, since they’re not all that different from plums 🙂
I know this is a few years old but I googled something to quick save some plums that were starting to turn before we could get through them… We sweetened with honey instead of sugar and I attempted water-bath canning a couple 4 oz jars for a treat this winter… If I can keep the family out of them long enough! Thank you so much for the recipe! So far it’s a huge hit!
Thank you for sharing, Erica! 🙂
Mom always made DELICIOUS jams & jellies but all that boiling and sterilizing, etc? Nope. A neighbor gave me some plums and I tried this recipe This would make my mom weep with jealousy and pride! I was a little Leary of the black pepper but followed your lead exactly. So good, so easy. I gave some to the neighbor who provided the plums and I don’t mind saying, mow that it’s all gone, I regret sharing. So Very Good! Thank you, you are a marvel!
Aww thank you so much, Linda! I’m so very happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this tonight as I only had a few plums to use up, and it was fantastic. I personally did half white sugar and half brown sugar and then also added a sprinkle of cinnamon and ground clove. It tastes amazing, didn’t take very long, was easy, and goes great with cheese and crackers. It also made more than I expected from my six plums, which was awesome. I’ll definitely make this again.
That makes me so happy, Lolly! And brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves sounds absolutely amazing.