My home in Bulgaria (Atmanna) is blessed with many trees including apple, pear, sour cherry, and wild plum (several different types)., as well as rose-hip and blackberry bushes plus many herbs. All these were here when I bought the property nearly a year ago. It was however a jungle then as no-one has lived here for many years.
Today, sitting on my new balcony, I was unable to ignore the ripe plums within reach, so I decided to make some jam.
So i picked all I could reach without leaving the balcony, then removed the stones. I was left with around 900 grams of pitted plums.
I looked up some recipes and it seems I need some pectin to help the jam set, but not having any I again searched and found I could make pectin from under-ripe apples. Well, there just happened to have been a brief heavy rainfall and quite strong wind so I gathered some small not yet ripe apples from beneath one of the trees.
I then simmered these for about half an hour in water along with the plum pits which still had quite a bit of flesh on them, and added a little apple cider vinegar and a little citric acid (as I didn't have any lemons).
I then strained this leaving about half a litre of pectin which is probably enough for three or four batches of jam of this quantity.
Next I put the pitted plums with a little water on the stove and simmered for about 40 minutes until volume reduced by about half, then added around 120 grams of brown sugar. I only added a little (not the 450 grams in the recipe) as I don't like to use sugar, but it seems it's necessary to help the jam set and to preserve it, and for taste as I don't have any Stevia at the moment.
I then added some pectin and simmered for another ten minutes or so then tested to see if the jam was setting by putting some on a metal spoon from the freezer. I think it's ok. I also tasted it, just a little tart and a little sweet. I think it's good!
Finally I dissolved about 3 grams of borax in about 20 ml of hot water and added this to the pot. The purpose of the Borax (as well as being an excellent health aid) is to help preserve the jam, especially as I will not be boiling the jars in a water-bath after filling them.
I had already disinfected some empty glass jars (which I always save) by spraying with MMS (sodium chlorite solution activated with citric acid to create chlorine dioxide gas, which basically destroys pathogens, and is also excellent for human health as it can cure virtually any disease when taken correctly).
So, the jam is now jarred (3 X 200 gram jars) and splelt-turmeric bread will be finished baking in 20 minutes. I'm looking forward to trying it.
Namaste
Atma