Sugar Free Plum Jam Recipes

ITALIAN PLUM JAM

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss the plums, sugar, and lemon juice.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight (or at least 8 hours).
• Place a small plate in the freezer right before cooking the plums (this is to use to check if plum jam is ready).
• Place the plum mixture in a medium sauce pan on high heat. Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes. Lower heat to a low simmer. Stir with a wooden spoon and loosen any pieces that may stick to the bottom.
• Be sure to keep stirring for about 15-20 minutes. You'll know it's ready when juices become thicken like a syrup. You could check temperature with a candy thermometer to make sure it's never over 220 F. As it simmers, remove any white foam that could come to the surface.
• To make sure the jam is ready, remove the small plate from the freezer. Place a teaspoon of jam on the plate. If it sets within a minute, it is ready. If it still appears runny, return the plate to the freezer and continue to cook the plum mixture. Test again in a few minutes.
• Carefully spoon the jam into sterilized jars. Apply lids jars.
• Wipe rims with a clean, damp towel and screw lids on securely but not too tightly.
• Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove jars using tongs. Use potholders to tighten the lids. Place jars on a rack upside-down and let them cool. When they've cooled down, store them in the refrigerator. The jam should keep unopened for several months.

PLUM JAM

Steps:

• Place the plums and sugar in a heavy-bottomed jam pot, ensuring that they fill it no more than halfway (the jam will foam up during cooking).
• Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently to avoid scorching (8-10 minutes).
• Once the plum/sugar mixture is boiling hard, turn the heat down a bit to medium or medium-high to prevent scorching or overflows. Continue to stir frequently, and cook until the jam reaches gel stage. (That's 220 degrees when tested with an instant-read thermometer). It should take roughly 20 minutes at a boil, or 30 minutes total cook time, but can vary based on the fruit used.
• Once it reaches gel stage, ladle the mixture into prepared jars. Store in the refrigerator for immediate use, or freezer for up to 6 months. Or water bath can for long term storage.

LOW SUGAR PLUM JAM

Steps:

• Start by preparing jars and getting water in the canner heating. You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed.See full water bath canning instructions here.

SUGAR-FREE PLUM JAM WITH NO PECTIN

Steps:

• Chop the plums, removing the pit, and grate the apple.
• Add the fruit to a deep saucepan along with water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Then, simmer for 30 minutes while stirring.
• Cook for a further 45 minutes until glossy. Then, blend to a smooth jam before ladling into sterilised jars.

SPICED PLUM JAM FROM FRESH PLUMS

Steps:

• Wash the plums well. To remove the seeds - first cut the plum in half. Next, cut the plum half with the seed, in half again (into quarters). One of these quarters will have the seed attached, which you can easily pull out. Alternatively, you can cut the plum flesh around the seed.
• Repeat with all the plums.
• Cut all the plums into 1 inch chunks (roughly). It's OK if the plums are a little crushed at this point, since they will be cooked down anyway.
• WEIGH the chopped plums, so you can decide how much sugar needs to be added. Place the plums in a large bowl (large enough to accommodate the sugar that will be mixed in too).
• Add sugar, salt, lemon juice and spices into the bowl. Mix well.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to 48 hours). Also, place some small saucers / bowls / spoons in the freezer for the jam test (explained below).
• When you're ready to cook the jam, scrape all of the plum-sugar mix into a large pot. Add the grated apple and stir to combine.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture to let it heat evenly. Lower the heat to medium - medium low, and cook until the fruits start to soften.
• MASH the plums with a potato masher, OR you can pass about ¾ of the mix through a food mill (this will remove the skins).
• Continue to cook the plums until the mixture reduces and starts to thicken slightly. Stir frequently to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom and burning. While the jam is cooking, sterilize some heat-proof jam jars and lids.
• Check the temperature of the plum jam every 10 - 15 minutes (more frequently as it thickens more). Cook the jam until the temperature reaches 220°F (105°C).
• If you don't have a thermometer, you can perform the JAM TEST. To do this, drop a little jam on a frozen surface (saucer / bowl / spoon). Then keep it in the freezer for about a minute and check the consistency. If the consistency is jelly-like without being runny, then you've cooked the jam to the right temperature. (If you run a finger through the jam to create a streak, the jam shouldn't join back up in the middle to fill the streak, if it's at the right consistency).
• Remove the pot from the heat.
• Using clean tongs, clean ladles and clean paper towels, carefully ladle hot jam into the hot, sterilized jars. Please be careful, as the jam and jars will be very hot at this stage (wear gloves or oven mitts to protect yourself).
• Screw on the lids while the jars are hot. As the jam and jars cool down, this will create a seal.
• Allow the jars to cool to room temperature completely. Then label and store.

REFINED SUGAR-FREE PLUM JAM (NO PECTIN)

Steps:

• Over medium heat in a saucepan, add plums, lemon and maple syrup, bring to the boil and turn the heat down slightly allowing plums to simmer, reduce and soften for approx. 10-15 minutes.
• Add chia seeds, stir through for a minute and then turn the heat off. Allow the plum jam to thicken by cooling down at room temperature. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge and use as needed.