Preserve summer's plums with this delicious recipe for low sugar wild plum jam. (gluten-free)
Last year I shared with you the sweet wild plums that grow at the ranch. They are so adorable and delicious plucked straight from the bush! My husband used to always talk about the ranch plums, but I had never actually seen them until he brought some home last year. I was so surprised by how tiny they were!
I made a delicious Stone Fruit Cobbler and a yummy Roasted Plum and Honey Goat Cheese Toast with them, and then put the rest up in the form of wild plum jam. (I've been making my own jam for years now and have turned into a jam snob. It really is the best way to preserve summer fruit.)
What I didn't know about these cute little plums until this year, though, was that they are kind of a pain in the ass to pick! Hubby and I went out to the ranch to harvest this year's wild plums, and I now see why he wanted my help. The bushes these little gems grow on are very poky and scratchy, so you've got to wear some heavy-duty gloves and long sleeves along with your tall boots (in case of rattlesnakes…yikes!) in the middle of the summer heat in order to escape with minimal scratches. It's a little bit brutal. Luckily there was a little water in the river for us to cool off in post-plum picking.
But you know what makes scavenging through thorn-laden bushes, dodging spider webs and sweating through your gardening gloves worth it? This jam. I've made low sugar strawberry, blackberry, apricot and various other flavors of jam, but I think my low-sugar wild plum jam is the best. There is something so awesome about knowing you picked the fruit and did all of the work to harvest and produce such a delicious jar of goodness that just makes it that much sweeter. The best thing about your own homemade jam is that you control what goes in it. All of the goodness of fruit and just a touch of sugar without all of the crap that's in many commercially made big-brand jellies and jams.
We harvested plums a little late this year and missed a lot of them or lost them to bugs and birds, but we still came back with enough to make about a dozen and a half jars of deliciously sweet yet tart wild plum jam. Even though I ended up with blisters on my hands from using a cherry pitter on all of those tiny plums to get the pits out, it's such a great feeling knowing I will have fresh summer fruit all year long, just waiting to be spread on sourdough toast, homemade biscuits, and English muffins for months to come.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintLow Sugar Wild Plum Jam
Preserve summer's plums with this delicious recipe for low sugar wild plum jam. (gluten-free)
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: about 4 half-pint jars 1x
- Category: spread
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 cups prepared wild or regular plums (see instructions below)
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp low sugar pectin
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
- To prepare the plums, wash them and remove the pits. (I use a cherry pitter for small wild plums). Place plums in a food mill and mash all of them, catching the juice in a large bowl. Discard the skins.
- Place milled plums, water, and lemon juice in a large stock pot. Stir in pectin and heat the mixture over high meat until it comes to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Make sure you are stirring the whole time to prevent the bottom from scorching.
- Add sugar and return to a rolling boil. Continue boiling for a minute, while stirring. Remove from heat.
- If you are not canning the jam, let cool for a few minutes before pouring into containers. Allow at least an hour in the refrigerator to solidify. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. It can also be frozen in freezer-safe containers.
- If you are canning the jam, follow the canning instructions from my Low Sugar Strawberry Jam .
Keywords: wild plum jam, low sugar jam
For more tips on canning, visit the Ball/Kerr website or USDA's Guide to Home Canning.
Beth McB says
I adore this! It's my breakfast every day, usually on cottage cheese, sometimes on toast. My picky kid loves it too so now I have to make a batch every couple of weeks! I also like to blend in the skins. And yes it's very good even with boring old grocery store plums. 🙂 i haven't tried canning it yet but I'm going to be brave with my next batch.
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
I'm so glad you like it, Beth!
Ayaana says
This was my first time making plum jam. I followed your recommended proportions exactly. I did leave the peels on and blended them in the pot after they boiled to smooth out but without removing all the texture. It’s delicious…not so sweet that you can’t taste the fruit; with just the right amount of tartness and great texture.
Thanks so much! I’m going to try your strawberry jam on our frozen garden strawberries next!
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Linda Stenvick says
Hi, I’m so bummed because I tripled your recipe and my jam is so runny. Can I fix it by cooking it again?
Linda
Kaleigh says
Hi Linda,
Unfortunately it's a gamble when you make very large batches. Sometimes it will set and sometimes it won't. Ball recommends making no more than 10 half pints per batch for definite setting. I don't think cooking longer will make it set up any more. I'm sorry!
Janelle Fair says
Can you double or triple third recipe without trouble?
Kaleigh says
You can double it, but I wouldn't do any more than that as it might not set correctly. I've done bigger batches but sometimes it won't set. Enjoy!
Sarah Garland says
Hi, it’s been awhile since I’ve done any canning. About how long will this jam last in my cupboard once canned? I saw another post that said that the shelf-life goes down when less sugar is added. Is this true? Thank you for your feedback!
Kaleigh says
Hi Sarah, sugar is a preservative, but as long as it's properly sealed, this jam should last at least 6 months!
Donna J Bergstrom says
I made this jam yesterday. The only difference was I used my immersion blender after the 1st roiling boil instead of the food mill (I like the flavor of the skins). It turned out so yummy!
Kaleigh says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Julie says
I used this recipe for plum jam and liked it so much I made a batch of plum sauce by reducing the pectin to 2 tablespoons and increasing the sugar by about 1/2 cup. The recipe is very easy and if you like a tart plum jam this will hit the spot.
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
What a great idea, thanks for sharing!
Suzie says
Do you ever leave the plum skins on the jam?
Kaleigh says
I have left some of the skin on and processed the plums in the blender. It's a little more fibrous and tart with the skins.
Lauren says
I was just telling a friend that I have too many plums to eat! I was thinking of making a jam and now my decision has been made! Can't wait to try!
nutrisavvysblog says
What amazing little 'berries' -- they are actually plums!? So curious to try these. I recently discovered French Plums which are not quite round and a different color than your typical purple skinned plums - also a denser texture. They were so good, I think I ate most of the bag before we even got home.