Summer, like a butterfly, flew through the window, passing the turn of autumn - to reap the fruits of their labors. If you managed to collect an impressive harvest of plums in September, then why not some magic over them? How about jam? Fragrant and rich, with a slight sourness … Such that from the first spoon back to plunge headlong into summer?
Vitamin pantry
Like most fruits, plum is a vitamin … no, it's not a bomb, but a find. For example, she cannot compete with the same kiwi. But on the other hand, it is known for certain that all fruits and vegetables that have a dark color are obviously more useful than their pale counterparts. This is because the dark color of the product indicates the presence of a large amount of antioxidants. And antioxidants are, first of all, a guarantee of youth and beauty.
Therefore, if you have a notable plum harvest at your dacha or you just love these fruits, you can, having eaten your fill of them, make jam from them. In winter, it will pamper you with vitamins, taste and aroma! Moreover, it is not at all difficult to prepare it. You don't even have to be a desperate mother housewife to deal with it. It is enough to have a supply of fruit, good mood and free time.
If your goal is to get the perfect pitted plum jam, you need to be time-consuming. The classic recipe, although very simple, but with long intervals necessary to cool the sweet boil. Therefore, immediately tune in for two to three days. Just don't be afraid of it. You don't have to stand at the stove all this time. The plum will stand, without your active participation. You need to cook the jam in three stages. In order to preserve the maximum vitamins, the process will take place without prolonged languishing of the fruit on the fire. If you want the delicacy to be viscous, like marmalade, choose long dark plums. This variety is also called "prunes". If you like liquid jam, then choose soft, juicy varieties. Here is an interesting step-by-step recipe for making "prunes".
Required Ingredients
You will need:
- a kilogram of plums;
- three glasses of water;
- kilogram of sugar.
Preparatory stage
First, the plum must be sorted. Discard all spoiled fruits. It is better to refuse crumpled fruits. Otherwise, you will have to forget about the form. You will have an amorphous flowing jelly. Rinse the plums well, discard them in a colander to drain the liquid, clean them from the "tails". Then carefully pierce each drain with a fork or knife. This is necessary so that the fruit does not crack or burst during the cooking process. And also - so that the sugar syrup nourishes them evenly. If you have a very sharp knife in your kitchen, you can use it to make cuts.
Making sugar syrup
Next, move on to preparing the sugar syrup. To do this, take sugar and water in the stated proportions and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Place the plums in a wide saucepan and pour over the prepared syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for five minutes. During this time, dip the plums into the syrup with a slotted spoon so that they are thoroughly soaked. They will jump out and ask to go out, but be unshakable - systematically dip them into sweet water.
Now turn off the gas and let the plums cool. There is no rush here. Therefore, put the pan in a dark place and forget about it for 6-7 hours. After the allotted time, repeat the procedure a second time, and then a third. Do everything in exactly the same way as the first time - boil for a short time and cool for about seven hours. If you have enough creative fervor and patience, then you can play the worked out scenario for the fourth time.
Here the secret is simple - the jam gets thicker and richer every time. Such numerous repetitions of the same actions will most favorably affect its taste. If you perform these manipulations only twice, then the jam will turn out to be liquid, without the stickiness of the gum. Choose for yourself which option you prefer. After the last repetition, which you decide to stop, it will be time to put the jam into jars.
Sterilization of cans
For this, the banks must be sterilized in advance. Usually, every desperate housewife already has her own favorite and proven method of sterilization. If this procedure is new to you, then there is an easy solution. Wash and dry the jars. Then spread evenly over the baking sheet with the neck down. Set the temperature to 120 degrees. And leave it for ten minutes. At this temperature, all microbes and bacteria will die, and the jars will remain intact. They will not burst, crack or deform. This is the easiest and fastest time-tested sterilization method.
Now that the jars are ready, place the jam on them.
Dinner is served
Fragrant, thick, rich, with a subtle sourness - it will turn out amazingly tasty. From the resulting mass, you should have two half-liter jars. If you want more, then proportionally multiply all the ingredients by the desired amount. This recipe is also suitable for pitted plums. If you decide to pamper yourself with plum-filled pies, you can prepare the jam according to the same scheme, only after removing the seed from the fruit. In the second case, you can not worry about the shape and cut the fruit into halves.
Whatever culinary masterpiece you choose, remember - your diligence and patience will be fully rewarded with a delicious, healthy and original dessert!
