Healthy Eating - High Fruit Low-Sugar Plum Jam

Turn New Season Plums into Delicious Low Sugar Jam for Winter Taste

Aug 20, 2009

Want to preserve a bumper crops of plums? Traditional jams contain a lot of sugar so this health conscious low sugar variety is worth making.

This recipe is for a low sugar, high fruit content plum jam. The sugar in jam is used as a preservative, and so low sugar jams need to be bottled speedily and at high temperature in order to kill off all bacteria and yeast spores.

Once opened low sugar jams then need to be kept in the refrigerator and eaten within a fairly short period. For this reason it is best to use smaller jars that can be consumed rapidly.

How to Choose the Right Plums for Making Jam

If one is fortunate enough to own a plum tree, then around the end of August (if you are in the northern hemisphere) the fruits will be ripening. To test for ripeness, simply take hold of the plum between finger and thumb and squeeze very gently. A ripe plum is one that is uniformly soft and yielding to the pressure. Another test for ripeness is to simply twist the fruit quite gently and if it is ready it will come away from the stalk.

Next check the plum for damage or pests. A common problem with plums is the Codling Moth and this small larva leaves a dark shadow on the outside of the plum, and a brown granular residue inside the plum. If you aren't squeamish the plum can be washed under the tap to remove all traces of worms and utilized in the normal way.

Ingredients for Low Sugar Plum Jam

Stoning the Plums for Plum Jam

There is no easy way of stoning plums, but it is an essential step in the manufacture of jam if stones are to be avoided. Broken teeth and swallowed plum stones are a real turn-off so it is best to remove all stones before starting the cooking process.

Another method is to count the plums before cooking them and then after cooking until the fruit is soft and the stones are detached, to remove the correct number of stones. However this means that the fruit pulp then needs to be brought back up to temperature for bottling.

Sterile Method for Bottling the Plum Jam

As the plums are nearing completion, heat the oven to about 150 degrees and place the empty jars and their metal lids on baking trays inside the oven for five minutes in order to sterilize. Please take extreme care when removing from the oven and have a stable place, preferably on a heat proof wooden board, to rest them. Please do not put them onto very cold or wet surfaces as they will crack.

Please take all precautions when handling hot glass and jam, i.e. wear long sleeves and use oven mittens or a silicone oven glove whilst handling jars and lids.

Using a heat proof jug or a large ladle, scoop the hot jam out of the pan and pour it straight into the heated jars. They may sizzle a bit, but that is ok as it shows they are sterile. Immediately place the sterilized lids onto the jars and leave the jars to cool naturally in a safe place away from children.

An Alternative Method for Sterilizing Jam Jars

If one wants to avoid the oven method of sterilization, then the microwave oven can be used with equal success. Simply place three or four rinsed out jars into the microwave and cook on full power for one minute. The jars will get hot so caution is needed when removing them.

Boil the lids in a pan of water for 5 minutes - but please don't put lids in the microwave as they will spark.

Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor

This jam will keep for up to a year in a dark, cool cupboard if the serilization process has been carried out correctly. Use as a preserve with toast or croissants, or as a topping for deserts.

The copyright of the article Healthy Eating - High Fruit Low-Sugar Plum Jam in Recipes is owned by Christine Fadhley. Permission to republish Healthy Eating - High Fruit Low-Sugar Plum Jam in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.