Plum Preserves Recipes

PLUM PRESERVES

Steps:

• Wash plums, cover with water.
• Cook until tender.
• Remove seeds and cut up.
• Measure 6 cups pulp.
• Add sugar, juice and grated peel of orange and lemons and raisins.
• Cook until thick and clear.
• Add nuts, then pectin.
• Pour into hot sterilized jars.

PLUM PRESERVES

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot.
• Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Cook rapidly almost to gelling point.
• As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
• Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
• Adjust two-piece lid caps.
• Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

QUICK PLUM PRESERVES

Steps:

• Coarsely chop plums and stir together with sugar, water, and cinnamon stick in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally (more often toward end of cooking to prevent sticking), until thickened and reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Discard cinnamon stick and cool preserves. Transfer to an airtight container and chill, covered.

PLUM PRESERVES MEZZA LUNA

Steps:

• Combine the cut up plums and water in a heavy, non-reactive 5-quart saucepan. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to a steady simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes.
• Pour the fruit and water through a strainer with a bowl to catch the juices, letting it drain 15 minutes. Measure the drained liquid. Measure out the same amount of sugar. Return the juices to the saucepan and bring them to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and begin adding the sugar 1/2 cup at a time, allowing the mixture to return to a boil before adding the next 1/2 cup sugar. Continue cooking until the liquid reaches its jell point (generally 8 degrees above the boiling point measured on a thermometer). This takes about 5 or 10 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the plum pieces, letting them steep together for 15 minutes.
• Return the preserves to a boil. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 cup more sugar and boil for 10 minutes stirring frequently and the temperature rises to 215 degrees F. Turn off the heat and skim off any foam. You may allow it to cool then chill it or to can it, pour into jars, wipe the rims, place the lids on, and invert the jars for a quick vacuum seal or process in a boiling water bath submerged 1-inch for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, pinch the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture.
• In a bowl, stir together the sour cream and egg yolk until very smooth. Add to the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together. The dough may feel a little dry. Form into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. On a work surface thickly dusted with powdered sugar, roll out the pastry 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 4-inch disks and place them on a sheet try in case you need to chill them. Brush milk around the edge of each one. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each disk, fold it over, and seal the edges with a fork. Chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the pastries until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the pan on a wire rack.

PLUM PRESERVES RECIPE

Steps:

• Chop each plum into quarters and discard the seed. Weigh the chopped plums with a kitchen scale to get 3¼ pounds.
• Add ⅓ of the plums to a large pot. Sprinkle with one cup of sugar. Repeat layering until all the sugar and plums are added. Sprinkle with the lemon and orange zest.
• Heat over low flame until the sugar begins to dissolve, stirring occasionally. Juice enough oranges to get half a cup of orange juice. In my case, it took two oranges.
• Stir the orange juice into the plums and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the flame and set a timer for 30 minutes.
• After cooking for 30 minutes, your preserves should reach the right consistency or gelling point. Skim the surface to remove foam then ladle the hot jam into sterilized hot jars. Leave ¼ inch headspace, wipe the rims with a kitchen towel, and screw the lids on hand tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

PLUM-VANILLA PRESERVES

Steps:

• Start with our step-by-step canning how-to.
• Put the plums, sugar, vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks in a large, wide saucepan. Squeeze the lemon juice through a strainer into the pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy or deep-fry thermometer registers 220 degrees F, about 30 minutes. (To be sure that the mixture has reached the gel point, spoon some onto a chilled plate and put in the freezer until cool. The liquid should set; if not, continue to cook and retest after a few more minutes.) Remove the pan from the heat and let cool 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sterilize four 8-ounce canning jars and lids.
• Return the plum mixture to medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring, then add the plumcots. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the plumcots are tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
• Fill the jars with the plum mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headspace, then seal and process.

PLUM CONSERVE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine plums, cranberries, oranges, orange juice and 2-1/2 cups sugar. Mix remaining sugar with pectin; set aside. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and plums soften, about 15 minutes. Stir in pectin mixture and walnuts; return to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir 1 minute., Remove from heat. Ladle hot mixture into 7 hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

PLUM JAM

Steps:

• Place the plums and water into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar, and add butter to reduce foaming, if needed. Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly, and then mix in the pectin quickly. Return the jam to a full boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim off and discard any foam.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the plum jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/8 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area. Refrigerate opened jars for up to 3 weeks.

CANNED PLUM JAM

Steps:

• Prepare jars as described in General Rules.
• Combine plums, sugar, lemonjuice, and salt in a stockpot overhigh heat. Bring to a boil,mashing with a potato masher.Skim scum off top.
• Boil, skimming and stirring frequently,until bubbles slow, youcan see chunks of fruit showingthrough top, and mixtureclings to a spoon, falling offin languid clumps, 10 to 12 minutes.Pick up and discard skinswith a fork, if desired.
• Lift jars out of hot water oneat a time, draining water. (See General Rules for how-to's.) Ladlehot jam into hot jars using awide-mouth funnel, leaving1/2-inch headspace. Slide a nonmetallicspatula or chopstickbetween jam and jar to releasetrapped air bubbles.
• Wipe rim and threads of jarwith a clean, damp cloth. Removelid from hot water. Placelid on jar. Screw band downevenly and firmly, just until resistanceis met. Place in cannerand lower into water.
• Put lid on canner. Bring waterto a boil. Start keeping time afterwater comes to a rolling boil.Process 1/2 pints 10 minutes at agentle but steady boil.
• Turn off heat and remove cannerlid. Let canner cool 5 minutes,then remove jars and set themupright on a dry towel or rack.Do not retighten bands. Let jarscool 12 to 24 hours.
• After jars have cooled, checklids for a good vacuum seal by pressing on center of each. If center is pulled down and does not flex, remove band and gently try to lift lid off with your fingertips. If lid does not flex and you cannot lift it off, seal is set. Wipe lid and jarsurface with a clean, damp clothto remove food particles andresidue. Label. Store jars in acool, dry, dark place.