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Your Never Fail recipe for Plum Jam (Reply to this comment)
by twistaddicted
I had thought that, with minor variations, that was my family's heirloom recipe for plum jam. Actually I made a batch of it only yesterday. It would have turned out great - except that while waiting for it to reduce a little I fell asleep. I have available, if anyone needs one, a stock pot with a permanent layer of burnt jam on the bottom.
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Jan 01 '10
6:51 pm PST
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re: plum jam... (Reply to this comment)
by rbsarafian
That is the funniest and most familiar account of canning misfortune I’ve ever read. Thanks for sharing, as I really needed a good laugh. And I just know that I wasn’t the only one having flash backs of fruit juice spraying every surface in the kitchen, from top to bottom in an attempt to remove pits from fruit. My last experience involving 3 hours of clean up due to this common canning catastrophe was when my husband decided to “surprise” me last summer by stopping at our local farmers market and purchased 5 pounds of cherries. As for fire hazards, a few years ago I actually had to throw my favorite stock pot into the garbage after an elderly neighbor telephoned me, screaming in pain after she fell and broke her hip. I did what anyone would do under the circumstances, which is to rush immediately to their aid. However, at the time, I was in the middle of making watermelon rind pickles and forgot to turn the stove burner off before leaving my home. When I returned from the neighbors house after giving aid and comfort and waiting with her for an ambulance to arrive, my home was full of foul smelling smoke and the pickles and my good pot were ruined. It took me days to wash the smoke out of curtains, walls, etc… Oh well, as the saying goes; No good deed goes unpunished. LOL!
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Oct 09 '09
4:10 pm PDT
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Less Bull and More Recipe (Reply to this comment)
by lookin4recipe
I found it very difficult to read this recipe after having to find my way through all of the
"NOT funny" bull. It was like trying find my way through a friggin' maze. After reading the first two paragraphs, I deleted the darn thing. All I was looking for was a good and easy recipe for plum jam.
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Sep 23 '09
4:20 am PDT
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you've made it so easy for me! (Reply to this comment)
by quiltergurl
after reading your wonderful recipe, i've decided that the only course of action is to bag up all my plums and leave them on the neighbors' doorsteps in the middle of the night! easy peasy!
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Sep 09 '09
4:50 pm PDT
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Your Red Plum Jam Recipe (Reply to this comment)
by loveredplumjam
I have never read a recipe in story form. Quite refreshing. I can't find red plum jam in the stores anymore so I will try to make my own. Then I won't have to go looking for it.
Thanks Ada for the recipe in an unusual way.
Sheila
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Jul 22 '09
1:25 pm PDT
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Thanks for a good laugh! (Reply to this comment)
by cultuswoman
With minor variations, this article describes my last 2 days - canning tomatoes (2 trips into town only to find the season is over) and making mixed vegetable relish. Sounded good in the recipe. Tastes like vinegar with a few limp things floating in it. Ah well...I'll be more organized next year.
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Sep 19 '08
1:16 pm PDT
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An easier way (Reply to this comment)
by jhsz
Go to the nearest deli or supermarket. Find plum jam on the shelves. Stand in line to pay. When the cashier closes just in front of you, go to another line. Wait, then pay. Go home and eat.
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Sep 04 '08
1:06 pm PDT
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Re: Re: Re: Yipes - no hot water bath (Reply to this comment)
by Penguinlady
Is that method easier than just melting the wax and pouring it over the top? I'd be concerned that some of the hardened wax might not make its way to the top but would linger in the middle of the jam.
Margaret
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Sep 04 '07
11:13 am PDT
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Re: Re: Yipes - no hot water bath (Reply to this comment)
by chasm_dt1
My mother shaved paraffin wax into the bottom of glass jelly jars, then poured the boiling jelly into the glass. The jelly melted the wax which then rose to the top. When it cooled, the surface was both sterile and sealed. To get the wax disk off, she poked around the edges to loosen it and then pried it off, washed the residual jelly off and saved the wax for use the next time she made jelly.
Neat, eh wot?
Charlie in Ellensburg, WA
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Sep 03 '07
10:52 am PDT
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Re: Plum Jam worked ! (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Wow! Someone found this four years later. I'm amazed.
I hope the people you give it to like your "basic jam" recipe!
And now that you are on Epinions, I hope you will write some product reviews.
Ada
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Jul 10 '07
7:25 am PDT
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Plum Jam worked ! (Reply to this comment)
by malibugal
I loved your easy recipe for plum jam, Ada. The best part of it was reminding me not to get too serious over projects that I am doing for fun and enjoyment. I am sure that everyone that is lucky enough to get some of my jam will--1. ask for more, 2. ask for the recipe. I will be sure to pass yours along, with a twinkle in my eye. Thanks again!
Ginger
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Jul 09 '07
5:18 pm PDT
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Re: Try Sure-Jell with the Splenda (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Hi there TeddyPigRandomKillDick!
Thanks for the URL. I had no idea that there was Sure-Jell for low sugar jams. I'll look for it. Thanks!
Or then again, maybe I'll just slip the excess fruit to the local wildlife and pretend I don't know how to make jam. Saves on burn creams.
Ada
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Jun 18 '04
12:33 pm PDT
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Try Sure-Jell with the Splenda (Reply to this comment)
by randomkill
http://www.kraftfoods.com/surejell/sj_products.html
Not that I am a guru at jam. Just hear things.
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Jun 16 '04
9:48 pm PDT
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Re: Re: Re: Yipes - no hot water bath? (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Hi, Margaret!
Don't know why I came back to this eight months later - the mind works in weird ways!
{snicker} It was the voices in your head. They made you do it.
The purpose of the boiling water bath is not only to ensure that the contents of the jars are sterile, but also to create a vacuum that will pull the little dot in the top of the lid down when it seals.
Depends on the air pressure/altitude above sea level, and what you are canning. Many people around here use a hot water bath on everything, because Mom and Granny did it that way. Mom and Granny did it that way because they came from the mountains and used wood fires, which could not heat the jars and lids hot enough to seal on their own, or ensure sterility. The newer canning lids usually seal quite well, but will still need the hot water bath at high altitudes. As they say in the ads: Your Mileage May Vary.
I'll trade you some plum jam for a fruitcake (references available on request!) or some chutney. I love home-made preserves, but don't have any fruit trees.
I lost the big plum tree and the biggest cherry tree in the garden last winter. One from a storm and the other from old age. I have young trees growing, but I planted a purple plum and a Green Gage, instead of replacing the red (jam-making) one. I still have a small red plum that produces quite a crop, but I won't be making any more jam! In part, I wrote this little essay to remind myself why jam-making was a bad idea. I also have a sugar-restricted diet, so don't make anything (except hummingbird fuel) with cane sugar. I'm sure someone knows how to make good jam with Splenda, but it never jells right for me. (I buy sugar-free jam that is quite good, so somebody is doing it!)
I may try some peach preserves this year, assuming I can get to the peaches ahead of the raccoons and opossums. Last year, they stripped one tree completely, then (adding a fillip of insult to the injury) left the pits in a neat pyramid at the base of the tree. Must have been mama possum, as the raccoons would have absconded with the fruit, pits and all.
Ada
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May 18 '04
7:28 am PDT
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Re: Re: Yipes - no hot water bath? (Reply to this comment)
by Penguinlady
Don't know why I came back to this eight months later - the mind works in weird ways!
The purpose of the boiling water bath is not only to ensure that the contents of the jars are sterile, but also to create a vacuum that will pull the little dot in the top of the lid down when it seals. So I ladle boiling stuff into the sterile jars, put the lids and bands on, tighten but not too much or the air can't escape, and dunk them back into the boiling water to generously cover for at least ten minutes. when I remove them, I listen for that reassuring "POP!" that happens when the button int he lid goes down - that's the signal that a vacuum has been created. Without the boiling water bath after filling the jars, you don't get the vacuum and the contents can go bad.
I used hot wax once and it was very unsatisfactory. I think it's mostly used on freezer jams. Honey should work, but over time would probably mix with the contents and no longer live in a discrete layer on top of the contents.
I'll trade you some plum jam for a fruitcake (references available on request!) or some chutney. I love home-made preserves, but don't have any fruit trees.
Margaret
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May 16 '04
6:56 pm PDT
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Re: Yipes - no hot water bath? (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Margaret:
Dropping boiling jam into sterilized jars will be fine if immediately sealed with sterilized lids. They vacuum seal on their own. Of course, if I were in the Rockies, or anywhere more than 2 - 3000 ft. above sea level, I'd use a boiling water bath for the sealed jars just to make sure they seal properly. In my neck o' the woods, it isn't necessary.
What I have never figured out is how people seal jam jars with wax. If the jam is boiling hot, doesn't that melt the wax? If you let the jam cool, doesn't that let in contaminants? And when the wax sets and gets cool, doesn't that let in air around the edges? There must be a trick to it, but danged if I can figure it out.
My grandmother sealed jam jars with honey. It is naturally antiseptic and doesn't spoil, so it should make a good "jam-topper", though I have never tried it.
Ada
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Aug 29 '03
3:14 pm PDT
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Re: Re: This is soo funny (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Carol:
I'll move there too if I can get fresh figs!
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Aug 29 '03
2:55 pm PDT
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Yipes - no hot water bath? (Reply to this comment)
by Penguinlady
How do you sterilize the jam after it's in the jars? I seal mine and dunk them into a boiling water bath for about ten or fifteen minutes, to be sure they seal.
This is a hilarious recipe, and sounds very much like the way I make my chutneys!
Margaret
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Aug 29 '03
10:07 am PDT
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Re: This is soo funny (Reply to this comment)
by remnjava
Ripe mangos?
I'm moving whereever you live!!! Suppose you can get fresh figs, too, eh?
Carol
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Aug 21 '03
3:12 pm PDT
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Re: Yummy! Plum Jam and Yeast Rolls~ (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
My mother made yeast rolls, but mine never turn out like hers. My usual recipe ends with "Feed rolls to the birds, and buy some at the store."
Ada
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Jul 13 '03
5:14 pm PDT
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Yummy! Plum Jam and Yeast Rolls~ (Reply to this comment)
by ruby950
Thank you for this delicious sounding recipe. But what brought back memories was the thought of your yeast roll recipe to come! My mother use to make them for special holidays and they were just delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
Deborah~
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Jul 12 '03
6:28 pm PDT
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Re: ROF (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Cyndi:
That's why I don't use the wax stuff! I just keep the good jars and lids from the (sugar-free) jams I buy, and reuse them. Not only does wax let in mold when it hardens and shrinks, it also has other unfortunate properties when added too hot. Like blending with the jam instead of staying on the top. Where it hardens in little white swirls. While I don't recommend this for jam, it does add a certain ..um .. interest ..to translucent jellies.
Of course, the best way to make jam is to buy it in big jars at the store, then transfer it into small, decorative glass jars at home. Cuts down on buying burn salve.
Ada
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Jul 11 '03
1:01 pm PDT
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ROF (Reply to this comment)
by CyndiA
That is absolutely classic. Tks for a great morning belly laugh.
I'd just add: Go to get jam. Find out the wax stuff on top didn't work and jam molded. Go to store and buy some of the not-near-so-tasty jam that the kids won't eat anyway. Eat the store jam with a spoon until all gone and then clean up all the nasty smelly jars of homemade jam.
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Jul 11 '03
7:08 am PDT
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Re: . (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Hi Stock!
But this entry is much more tasty!
Yeah, but I'll bet the band doesn't spend nearly as much on burn salve.
And when the band plays, do they call it a Jam Session?
Ada
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Jul 05 '03
6:55 pm PDT
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. (Reply to this comment)
by stockholder
What a coincidence, I just read a well written review on Plum Jam in the music section right here on Epinions.
But this entry is much more tasty!
stock e
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Jul 05 '03
4:38 pm PDT
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Re: One of the most (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
:snicker:
Burn salve, like sugar, can be added whenever (and wherever) needed. It's not an exact science.
Feel free to share this with anyone who might enjoy it!
Ada
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Jul 05 '03
12:36 pm PDT
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One of the most (Reply to this comment)
by _haggis_
honest, entertaining and complete recipes I have ever come across. With your kind permission (please?) I will be sharing it with two of my jam-making friends.
One question--do you add the burn salve before or after you add the 3rd cup of sugar?
Haggis
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Jul 05 '03
11:12 am PDT
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Re: eventually (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Brian:
Sure. I believe you will try this recipe eventually. Someday when you unexpectedly have a bucket of plums, lots of sugar, and some time. And, oh yeah, a kitchen, pots, canning jars, and several tubes of burn salve. Can't do it without the burn salve.
Ada
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Jul 04 '03
9:29 pm PDT
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eventually (Reply to this comment)
by voxpoptart
I'm much more likely to get around to trying a recipe when reading it is this entertaining. Or at least, i imagine i am. It doesn't come up much. An unexpected pleasure!
- Brian
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Jul 04 '03
7:54 pm PDT
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Re: :-) (Reply to this comment)
by AdaDavis
Hi, Jan!
Not getting stung - by the wasps or the raters? ;-)
And, oh by the way, you might not want to follow this recipe exactly. Make your own "modifications" to the basic instructions.
Ada
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Jul 04 '03
2:19 pm PDT
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