Email to Cat      

Sweet Cherry-Plum Jam

Source of Recipe

From "Food in Jars" by Marisa McClellan


Recipe Introduction

"Though I love eating sweet cherries when they're ripe and in season, I've found that they don't make the best jam on their own. With their assertive sweetness, they run the risk of becoming akin to cough syrup in a preserve. But on a whim last summer, I tried cutting them with some tart plums and immediately knew I'd hit pay dirt. The plums give just the right amount of tart balance to the cherries and transform them into a true treat."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 cups pitted and chopped plums (about 1 ½ pounds whole plums)
â—¦ 4 cups pitted and chopped sweet cherries (about 2 pounds whole cherries)
â—¦ 3 ½ cups granulated sugar
â—¦ Zest and juice of 1 lemon
â—¦ 2 (3-ounce) packets liquid pectin


Recipe

Prepare a boiling water bath and four regular-mouth 1-pint jars. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

Combine the plums, cherries, and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, until the jam looks molten and syrupy. Add the lemon zest and juice and the pectin. Bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes four (1-pint) jars