Jam is a sweet preparation made from fruits or berries, aromatic, with a rich fruit taste and pleasant sweetness. This product can be cooked from a variety of ingredients, and plum jam, which is prepared for the winter, is especially tasty. This homogeneous, thick, jelly-like mass can be an excellent treat for tea drinking, a filling for baked goods and other various dishes.
Features of making plum jam
In order for the jam to acquire the desired consistency, boil properly and be tasty, experienced housewives recommend the following:
- for cooking it is better to use wide dishes with low sides;
- high or medium temperature conditions are used;
- There is no need to add water while preparing jam; on the contrary, the liquid must be evaporated;
- It is advisable to add sugar after the fruits have softened and some of the moisture has evaporated;
- To speed up the boiling process, it is better to cut the fruits into small pieces and grind them in a blender.
And you shouldn’t cook a large amount of jam at once, this workpiece can burn, cook unevenly, boil away, and it’s much easier to handle a small portion.
Preparation of the main ingredient
For this preparation to turn out well, it is necessary to use ripe or slightly unripe plums, without dents or rotten areas, with dense pulp.
Jam can be made from fruits of any variety - blue, white, yellow, red, prunes. They need to be sorted, removing wormy and spoiled ones, and rinsed under running water.
The stalks must be removed; most recipes use pitted plums, which means they must be removed. Most often, this can be done with a stick, pushing out the seed, but in the fruits of some varieties, for example, white ones, it is unlikely to be possible to get rid of them in this way - you will have to cut them and remove them manually.
Another nuance - the skin of yellow plums gives the preservation a bitter taste, so it is recommended to remove it. To make the process easier, you can soak the fruits in boiling water or in the microwave for a couple of minutes. When the plums are ready, you can start cooking.
How to make plum confiture at home
Confiture differs from jam in that, in addition to homogeneous jelly, it contains pieces of fruit.
To prepare the treat, you will need the following:
- plums - 1 kg;
- sugar - 300 g;
- water - 125 ml.
Cooking algorithm:
- The plum halves are placed in a pan and filled with water.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- The workpiece simmers over low heat for 40 minutes - stir frequently, removing the foam.
- Boiled fruits are crushed using a blender or through a sieve.
- Sugar is added to the puree and left to simmer on low heat for 40 minutes.
- The finished confiture is poured into jars and sealed.
A simple recipe for the winter
There is a classic method of preparing the workpiece, which does not require much time and effort. For it you need to prepare the following ingredients:
- plums - 1 kg;
- sugar - 800 g;
- water - 0.5 tbsp.
The process for making jam is as follows:
- The fruits are combined with water and mixed.
- After boiling, the heat is reduced and the mass is boiled for 30 minutes.
- Sugar is introduced in parts - at intervals of 3 minutes, 200-250 g, each time the mass is mixed.
- The temperature is raised until boiling, and then lowered, and the plums are boiled for half an hour.
- The product is ready to be bottled.
Seedless
You can quickly make plum jam using the five-minute recipe; it is advisable to take fruits that quickly separate from the seeds.
Components:
- plums - 1 kg;
- sugar - 0.5 kg;
- water - 0.5 cups.
Cooking algorithm:
- Sugar is poured with boiling water and placed on the stove.
- The syrup is cooked over low heat.
- The fruit halves are placed in syrup and boiled for 7 minutes.
- The fire is turned off and the jam simmers for 4-5 minutes under the lid.
- The preparation can be poured into jars.
Without peel
Jam made from plums without skins is more homogeneous and lighter; to make it, you will need the following:
- plums - 2.5 kg;
- 5-6 kernels;
- sugar - 2 kg.
You will have to tinker with the preparation, since peeling the fruits will take some time. In addition, you will need kernels extracted from the seeds.
Step-by-step preparation:
- The fruits and kernels are placed in a container and sent to medium heat until the plums soften - it is necessary to control the process and regulate the temperature, the average cooking time is 40 minutes.
- Sugar is added to the fruit - in 2 approaches of 1 kg, each time the mass should be mixed and waited for it to dissolve.
- Cook the jam over medium heat until it thickens.
- The glossy, elastic mass can be placed in containers.
In a slow cooker
You can also prepare plum jam in this kitchen appliance, making your task much easier. Ingredients required:
- plums (without seeds and skins) - 800 g;
- sugar - 2.5 cups from a multicooker;
- lemon juice - 1 tsp;
- gelatin - 3 g.
The preparation is as follows:
- The fruit pulp is passed through a meat grinder.
- Sugar and juice are added to the mixture.
- It is placed in a bowl, the “steam” mode is set until it boils.
- The mode changes to another - “stewing”, cooking time - 1 hour;
- Gelatin is dissolved in water and added to the plums.
- The finished plum jam is poured into containers.
With chocolate
This delicious dessert has an original taste and is quite simple to prepare. The following products will be required:
- plums - 1 kg;
- sugar - 0.5 kg;
- gelatin - 1 pack;
- chocolate - 100 g.
Step-by-step preparation:
- The fruits are peeled, pitted and pureed.
- The puree is placed in a container, covered with sugar and placed on the fire.
- After boiling, the heat is reduced and the mass is boiled for a quarter of an hour.
- Chocolate and gelatin dissolved in water are added to the plums.
- When the chocolate has dissolved, the heat can be turned off, and the hot jam can be poured into containers and rolled up.
With apples
Plums go well with a variety of fruits, including apples. For dessert you will need:
- plums - 2 kg;
- apples - 1 kg;
- sugar - 1 kg.
The jam is prepared as follows:
- The fruits are pitted and cored, cut into pieces, covered with granulated sugar, and the mass is mixed.
- They are left alone for 50-60 minutes. until the juice appears.
- Then the container is placed on low heat, where the mass is boiled down.
- After 30 min. it should be removed from the heat and chopped with a blender.
- This is followed by repeated boiling, and the jam can be rolled up for the winter.
In the bread machine
Another device that makes life easier for housewives; it can also be used for winter preparations.
Ingredients:
- plums - 1 kg;
- sugar - 700 g;
- lemon zest - to taste.
All components are connected, the device is set to the “jam/jam” mode. The bread maker will notify the hostess with a sound that the dessert is ready.
From frozen plum
Frozen fruits can also be used to make jams, following the recipe you like. For plum and orange dessert you will need:
- plum - 0.5 kg;
- sugar - 400 g;
- orange - 1 pc.;
- ginger root - 2-3 cm piece;
- lemon juice - 2 tbsp. l.
Cooking algorithm:
- Juice is squeezed out of citrus fruit.
- The root is ground on a fine grater.
- The fruits are thawed, placed in a saucepan and brought to a boil.
- Juices, sugar, ginger are added to the plums, the mass is mixed and boiled for 60 minutes. over low heat.
- The jam is ready for use and packaging.
With gelatin
This component gives the dish a beautiful appearance and a pleasant jelly consistency. For plum jam you will need:
- plums - 1 kg;
- sugar - 800 g;
- gelatin - 15 g;
- lemon juice - 50 ml.
The preparation is as follows:
- The fruits are placed in a saucepan, lemon juice and 400 g of sugar are added.
- The mixture is stirred and left for 2-2.5 hours.
- Gelatin dissolves in water and swells within 30-40 minutes.
- Place the pan on the fire and cook the plums for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- The mixture should be cooled and crushed using a masher or blender.
- The rest of the sugar is added and the jam is boiled for another 40-45 minutes.
- At the end, gelatin is poured out, the dessert is actively stirred and immediately placed into jars.
Jam storage
If you use a recipe for making jam for the winter, then you can store it in any cool place - basement, cellar, refrigerator, and even in the pantry nothing will happen to it. In other cases, the jars should be placed on the refrigerator shelf.
