Plums, wonderfully sweet and juicy, have a short shelf life in the fruit bowl. But with this plum and vanilla jam you will keep the summer in your house. An easy recipe that you can make quickly with regular sugar. And everyone likes this plum jam!
Today is the start of a new week and the theme of this week is homemade jams. In the first place because now is the harvest season. If you have got no fruit trees in your garden, the fruit in the store is of super quality (because it's in season) and not too expensive. Above all this plum jam is an easy recipe, you've only needed 4 ingredients and you won't have to use pectin.
And what could be better, when the wind is howling around the house, to open a delicious jar of summer and spread it on your sandwich or pancake. But of course also just delicious in all other seasons.
And do you have any plums left? Then you can also use them for oatmeal pancakes with plum compote. Or make one of these delicious other jams: blackberry jam with oregano and apple jelly with lavender.
You can easily make delicious plum and vanilla jam yourself with regular sugar. And then you have some delicious jars full of summer flavor!
Jump to:
- Prunes - Delicious fresh plums are used for this recipe. If you have a plum tree (which is nice), you probably have enough. But in the plum season, they are also easy to get in the supermarket. I wash the plums in vinegar water and cut them in half. Then I remove the pit. So I cook the skin with the fruits (that gives the jam that nice color).
- Vanilla extract - A touch of vanilla is a super tasty combination with plums. If you don't have vanilla extract, replace it with 6 teaspoons of vanilla sugar.
- Sugar - It is not necessary to use sugar with pectin or pectin crystals for plums. They already have enough pectin. The amount of sugar depends on the cooked plum puree.
Step 1 - Cook the plums
- Make vinegar water and wash the plums in it. This removes dirt and pesticide residue. Then cut the plums in half and remove the pits. With ripe plums, you can easily pop them out with the tip of your knife.
- Place the plums in the pan and add the vanilla.
- Also, pour the water into the pan.
- Bring everything to a boil and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 2 - Puree and prepare the plum jelly
- Puree the cooked plums with the immersion blender.
- Place a sieve over a bowl and pour the plum puree into the sieve. Press the plum juice through the sieve with the back of the spoon.
- Weigh the prune juice and add 4 cups (750 grams) of sugar for every 3 cups (1 kilo) (it is easy to multiply your weight by 0.67 cups (0.75 grams) for the desired amount of sugar). Add it to the prune juice.
- Bring to a boil again. Remove the foam that has formed with a spoon. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 3 - Jam test
- Take a pre-chilled plate from the refrigerator and spoon half a teaspoon of jam onto the ice-cold plate.
- Tilt the plate and check whether the jam has set (stays at the place you add your teaspoon) or is still liquid. If it is still liquid, cook the jam for another 2 minutes and repeat the jam test. Continue until the half teaspoon of jam stops running. (put the plate back in the fridge between tests!)
Step 4 - Can the jam
- Pour a small amount of plum jam into each sterile jar (not immediately full or the jars may burst) and wait one minute. Then fill the jars.
- Close the lid and turn the jars upside down. Let cool until they are at room temperature. Now put them back to normal. The jars are now sealed airtight. Label the jam and store (or eat right away ;-)).
- Replace the vanilla by adding 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- If you don't have vanilla extract, add the seeds of 1 vanilla pod. You do this by slicing the vanilla pod in half. Scrape out the vanilla with the back of a spoon. You do this with the plums. You can also replace the extract with 6 teaspoons of vanilla sugar.
- Ginger is also a delicious flavor combination with plums. You can add one teaspoon of ginger powder to the fruit for a hint of ginger flavor.
- Add one teaspoon of orange zest and two tablespoons of orange juice for a delicious citrus twist.
- Add a little liqueur such as amaretto, whiskey, or Cointreau (about 3 to 4 tablespoons) to the jam.
- Add the vanilla to enhance the flavor of the plums. Plums and vanilla are a very well-known combination and for good reason. Definitely try it in this jam and you'll see why!
- The jam in this photo has been poured into a canning jar and stored. Sometimes the eye wants something too :-). You may want to consider using a screw-top jar. These seal well and you don't have to replace the rubber rings (otherwise this should be done on a regular basis). If the rings aren't right, your jar of jam is more likely to go bad.
- You sterilize the jars for the jam sufficiently by immersing them in boiling water for two minutes, and drying them with a clean tea towel, or washing them in the dishwasher (just screw the lid on immediately when you take them out).
- To test if the jam is thick enough, drop a drop on the cold plate. When the drop runs out, the jam has not yet thickened enough. When the drop solidifies, the jam is ready. It can then be poured into the jars. Make sure to keep the plate in the fridge in between.
- You wash the plums in vinegar water to remove any bacteria and chemical residues.
No, it's even better to add a few less ripe plums (if you have them). These less ripe plums contain more pectin, which causes the jam to gel (thick) earlier.
- Provided the jars are properly sterilized and sealed, this jam can be stored for a year in a dark and cool place. After opening, keep them in the refrigerator.
- You can also freeze the jam in freezer bags. Let them thaw in the refrigerator.
- If you have too many plums or just don't have the time, wash and halve them, and then freeze them. This way they stay good for up to 3 months. They can then still be used to make this plum jam a little later.
- good materials that you can sterilize are indispensable when making jam. These jars have a screw cap and close well. Another advantage is that they are clear, so you can clearly see what is in the jam jar. Finish it off with a nice label. I used these jars to store the jam.
- I can no longer do without an immersion blender for pureeing smoothies, soup, and jam. This blender has enough power to puree really smooth. I used the blender to puree the jam.
- You may be wondering if a special pan for the jam is really necessary. But with the right material you get the best results. This pan is made of copper, so it conducts the heat equally and the jam does not burn. It has a capacity of 11 quart (10.5 liters) (so you have enough capacity for your fruit) and two handles with which you can hold your pan well. I use the jam pan for cooking the jam.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Copper Jam Pan
- Mason jars
- immersion hand blender
Ingredients
- 6 pounds plums
- white vinegar
- 8 cups sugar exact amount depends on weight
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Preperation
- Put a plate in the refrigerator for at least one hour before starting making jam. (With this plate you will check whether the jam has thickened sufficiently after cooking.)
- Sterilize the pots as described in the notes section.
- Make a bowl with ⅔ water and add ⅓ vinegar. Wash the prunes in vinegar water.white vinegar
- Cut the plums in half and remove the pit.6 pounds plums
Prepare plum jam with vanilla
- Put the prunes and the vanilla extract in a pan and add ⅔ cup (180 ml water).3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Bring the contents of the pan to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
- Puree the jam with a blender and strain the puree.
- Weigh the leftover puree. Add 4 cups (750 grams) of sugar for every 3 cups (1 kilo) of fruit puree.8 cups sugar
- Bring the puree with the sugar back to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Take the plate out of the fridge, and drop a few drops of jelly on it. When the jam is done, the jelly will stiffen immediately, otherwise, you have to cook for 2 more minutes and check again (put the plate back in the cooling in between because you need a cold plate for checking).
- Pour a small bottom of jam into the jam jars (about ½ inch) (not too much else the pots can burst), wait a minute, and pour more jam until the jar is full.
- Turn the lid on the pots and put the pots bottom up.
- Allow to cool to room temperature and turn the pots upside down. They are now sterile.
- Label the jam. Jam can be stored in a sterilized jar for 6-12 months at room temperature. Once it is open, you have to keep it in the fridge and it will last for a few weeks.
Notes
- Replace the vanilla by adding 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- If you don't have vanilla extract, add the seeds of 1 vanilla pod. You do this by cutting the vanilla pod in half. Scrape out the vanilla with the back of a spoon.
- You can also replace the extract with 6 teaspoons of vanilla sugar.
You sterilize the jars for the jam sufficiently by immersing them in boiling water for 2 minutes and drying them with a clean tea towel, or washing them in the dishwasher (just screw the lid on immediately when you take them out). 3.- Jam thickness test
To test if the jam is thick enough, drop a drop on the cold plate. When the drop runs out, the jam has not yet thickened enough. When the drop solidifies, the jam is ready. It can then be poured into the jars. Make sure to keep the plate in the fridge in between. 4. - Vinegar water
You wash the plums in vinegar water to remove any bacteria and chemical residues. 5. - Storage
- Provided the jars are properly sterilized and sealed, this jam can be stored for a year in a dark and cool place. After opening, keep them in the refrigerator.
- You can also freeze the jam in freezer bags. Let them thaw in the refrigerator.
- If you have too many plums or just don't have the time, wash and halve them. And then freeze them. This way they stay good for up to 3 months. They can then still be used to make this plum jam a little later.
The nutritional values are given per 1 cup (250 ml) jar. If your pot is larger, the nutritional values will increase. This is NOT the nutritional value per spread of bread.
Angela says
soo yummyyyyy
Marie says
This looks great!
Taleen | Just As Tasty says
I love homemade jam, adding vanilla is such a great idea!
Emily says
I can’t wait to try this plum jam...yum!!!!
Alexandra says
Homemade jam cannot be beaten, and the addition of vanilla with the plums works so well.
Sue says
This jam is outstanding! Plum is a favorite of mine, the addition of vanilla makes it amazing!
Amy says
This looks absolutely delicious! I love a good jam. Bookmarking this for when stone fruit is back in season for us.
Emily Woodward says
MMmm, plums and vanilla. Who could ask for more. Thanks for sharing!
Swathi says
Plum jam with vanilla sounds yum.Great to treat a morning toast with it.
Capri says
Such a perfect combination! Thanks for sharing!
Andréa says
It really is! The vanilla adds so much flavor.
Andréa says
It really is, it combines great with plums.
Andréa says
And plums are in season right now. I've just made a new batch.
Andréa says
It really does! And homemade jam is the best!
Andréa says
It really does. Vanilla and plums are such a great combination!
Andréa says
You will love this jam. It got such a lot of flavor.
Andréa says
No thanks, thank you for your nice words!
Andréa says
Mmmm, didn't try it on toast yet, but I'm sure going to give it a try!
Andréa says
Thank you for your nice words!
Chef Dennis says
I can't wait to taste this Plum jam with vanilla!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen says
Oh I am sooo excited to try making this at home.
Sanna says
This looks really delicious.
Natalie says
Such a lovely jam recipe. I love the addition of vanilla. I can't wait to make this for my family.
Andréa says
The vanilla is the addition what makes this jam so flavorful! Thank you!
Andréa says
Thank you!