I got a half flat of
blackberries the other day at the farmers market. I was going to make a
big batch of Blackberry Apple Jam. I also bought a bunch of plums on
sale the day before. I decided to try something different.
I
thought plums and blackberries might be a nice combo and they were but
they were a bit tart too. So I added some spice to mellow it. And even
tho I added apple juice, I thought a touch of orange would help also.
And then I used fresh grated ginger root.
It turned out delicious. My bf tasted it and says its
good, very good! I still have blackberries left tho so tomorrow it will
be Blackberry Apple jam.
Plum Blackberry Ginger jam Makes 5 pts.
2qts mix of cut up plums, pitted and quartered and blackberries, about half and half
1c. organic sugar
1c. organic unfiltered apple juice
1c. orange juice
2tb. fresh grated ginger root
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. butter
2 boxes of Ball No Sugar Pectin
1 c.organic sugar
Put all fruit in lg. pot. Add next 6 ingredients. Cook for 10-15 min. till plums are tender and beginning to fall apart.
Cool a bit then put the mixture thru a food mill to get
all seeds and skins out. You will get a lot more pits and such than you
think you should but its ok.
You should have 8c. of fruit mixture. Put back in pot
and add lemon juice and butter. Bring to a simmer. The butter is to
keep the foam down when boiling.
Mix the pectin mix with the
extra 1c. sugar. This is very tart so you do need some sugar. But I
like using this because I can use a lot less and still get a nice
product.
Once the fruit is simmering, whisk in the
pectin/sugar mixture. Bring to a boil. Then boil for 3min. It will
begin to thicken some when boiling but will finish once it cools.
Fill hot jars with hot jam. Wipe rims and seal. Water bath can for 10 min.
Let cool and make sure seals are popped. If not sealed refrigerate to use that one first.
This is my breakfast this morning. I had leftover biscuits from the other day so I warmed them, topped them with butter and apple-plum butter I made the other day. You all know Ive got a bunch of plums so Ill be trying to use them up.
This is very tasty tho and is a nice surprise. Some of you know Ive been looking for a recipe for yrs and yrs for something I ate at a Pennslyvania Dutch place I went to as a lil girl with my gramma. They served 7 sweets and 7 sours on the table and the food was family style. But the thing that stuck with me all these yrs was something I had .......it looked like plums but didnt taste quite like it. I searched and searched to see if there were traditional things served but nothing ever seemed right. After making this....I tasted it and OMG THIS IS IT!!!!
So heres the recipe for it and if I made it again , I think Id tweak the sugar a bit. It seemed like a lot and it did get nice and thick. But it is a bit sweeter than I remembered it being.
APPLE-PLUM BUTTER
2lbs. slightly underripe red plums, quartered
2lbs. tart apples, quartered
2c. unsweetened apple juice
3c. sugar
2tsp. ground cinnamon
Combine plums, apples and apple juice in a heavy non aluminum lg. saucepan. Bring to a boil over med. heat. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer 25min. stirring occasionally. Uncover and cooktill fruit is very tender, stirring occasionally (20-30min)
Cool slightly and force thru a food mill discarding peel and seeds. Return puree to pan and add sugar and cinnamon. Bring to boil over med. heat, stirring constantly. (Can scorch easy so watch it) Reduce heat and simmer till thick and glossy. Remove from heat and spoon into hot sterilized jars and seal.
Butter can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3wks or processed in a boiling water bath (15min. for pts. or 10min. for 8oz. jars) and can be kept on a cool, dark shelf for 1yr.
Makes 3pts. or 6 halfpts.
