damson plum jam

 It looks like my new house has heaps of damson plums - or to be more accurate from a landscaper who came by, some sort of hybrid on-nongrafted stock that likely developed right here. They're in large clusters so heavy as to pull down the thin branches. Everyone says the tree needs trimming back and I warn them to wait until after harvest.  I'm quite excited about these plums.

I made my first batch of jam and it seems very tasty though I have to let it cool first for maximum effect.  

Damson Hybrid Plum Jam 

Ingredients:  

• 1.5 kilogram of damson plums.  It seems fine to pick when slightly underripe and there's more pectin in there
• 2 cups water
• 750 g sugar (is what I used and I want to try even less sugar)

Directions

Pick and clean the plums. Clean jars and lids; put lids in hot water to prep and sterilize jars. 

If more than 1.5 kilograms, make in batches.  

Put the plums in a big pot with 2 cups of water.  Turn on low-medium to let the plums cook a bit to soften, like 5-10 minutes.  Let cool enough.  Pour into a colander on a bowl and pick out the pits.  Then return the pulp and juice to the pan.

Warm again and add sugar, stirring well.  

Keep stirring as turning up the heat.  Once it gets to boiling, stir very well and let it boil for ten minutes. 

Pour into clean jars and lids.*  Process if you wish**

 

*Re jars & lids: I reuse.  Not just mason jars, but jam jars.  I especially like the Bonne Maman jars, they're a great size.  I've reused the lids numerous times without issue, and I like that I can give them away and if they're recycled instead of returned to me it's no big deal. 

**Re processing: I grew up with homemade jam poured into sterlized jars and letting them seal on the countertop.  Since I've learned they're supposed to be water bathed for 10 minutes.  Shrug.  Either way.  If I water bath, I"m a little less fanatical about everything fully sterilized, and just clean is good enough.  

freeze snow peas

 My snow peas hit hard, finally.  Lots of fresh eating and sharing, and I wanted to freeze some for later.  For deep in dark winter when I want to remember what spring tastes like.  

Because I want to store them for awhile, I blanched first (which I don't always do).  Recording here so I remember times. 

- Clean and remove blossom end

- Blanch 1.5 minutes  

- put into ice water for 2 minutes

- lay out to dry

- pop into freezer bags, label with date

- into freezer they go!

canning lids!

These were as a Facebook ad and I'm so glad to have seen them!

They are Tattler reusable canning lids. I can be a bit of a canning fiend, but I get annoyed that I have to buy new lids each time. Sure, they're less than 10 cents a piece, but one of the benefits of canning is that you save money by reusing containers. So, I'm super excited to see that I have options!!

strawberry honey jam

(originally posted on other blog March, 2009)

Pre-work: prepare the jars & lids. Wash them well, then put them in separate pans. You want to boil the jars to get them very sterile, but do not boil the lids because that can destroy the sealing rubber gasket part. Get the lids to a simmer then turn off the heat; boil the jars about 10 minutes and then keep them in the pot. You'll use the same pot to boil them in later when they're full of jam, so don't dump the water out. [I have a problem with a film developing on the jars when they boil - my guess is from minerals in the water. Will need to figure it out.]



Then, wash the strawberries. Be gentle. Get organic strawberries, or at least unsprayed, so you're only washing to get off dirt, leaves, etc. Dry on a clean tea towel. Let them get to room temperature so that their flavor is very full.



Then, hull them. I take the stem off with my fingers, then use a huller for the tough attachment part. (Can also use a knife, but I find that seems to take off too much of the good berry.)



Slice until you think you'll have about 4 cups mashed (my best guess is about 2 1/2 pints). (You probably don't have to slice before mashing, but I think it makes the mashing easier.)



Then mash, leaving some yummy big chunks but getting out the juice. Measure into a pan to be sure you have 4 cups. {*I do multiple batches as well - see below.}


Get out your other supplies. I use Pomona's Universal Pomona because it doesn't require table sugar and has fantastic customer service (yeah, I've called twice). I use local honey because it tastes like ambrosia. I've never been all that into honey before, but this Westwego (on the West Bank) honey from Mynick's farm pushes me into paroxysms of pleasure. And the combination of local strawberries and honey is so wonderful!



The directions are clear for Universal Pectin, which I appreciate. You have to make "calcium water" (just adding some liquid to water to keep in a jar). You add 2 tsp of that to your 4 c of mashed berries, and then add 2 tsp from the other packet (pectin) to however much honey you want to use (I use 1/2 c to 3/4 c of honey per 4 cups of strawberries.)


Bring the fruit to boil while stirring so the bottom doesn't burn. Then add the honey mixture, stirring well to dissolve the pectin. Return to a boil and then remove from heat.

Fill the jars to 1/4" of top (it really helps to have a canning funnel). Wipe the rims clean, screw on the two piece lids, and put the jars in the boiling water to cover. Boil five minutes if you're at (or below, in my case) sea level, longer at higher altitude. Remove with the special tool for that (jar handler tool) and set on a towel on the counter to cool. For four cups of mashed berries, I filled three 1/2 pint jelly jars and then a larger jar that isn't for canning to use as fridge jam (I sterilized the jar & lid and will keep in fridge and use up right away).



And then you have jam! Yum! It's fantastic to eat throughout the year, and I especially like it in homemade yogurt.

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It is definitely possible to quadruple batches with this pectin (as long as you have enough pots, etc.).

3/24/09 - A whole flat of strawberries yielded about 18 1/2 c mashed strawberries (probably more but I measured generously). I put in about 2 1/2 c honey and 10 teaspoons each of calcium water and pectin.

It made 7 pints plus an applesauce jar, a jam jar, and another glass container I use for food leftovers.

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3/23/10 - A whole flat yielded about 17 c mashed berries (yeah, I nibbled on quite a few), which yielded 9 pint jars of jam plus a little bit.