Plum Preserves

My Mom and a few friends make their own preserves, jams and/or jellies and I've been lucky enough to enjoy the fruits of their labor. :) I've always liked the idea of making my own jams but I imagined it would be a messy, time-consuming process so I never attempted it.

I bought plums from Costco but they weren't very sweet. Rather than letting them go to waste, I decided to make preserves. It was SO easy and resulted in sweet, delicious preserves! I can't believe I waited so long to try this.

It was very helpful to have found a post with great info. That was key in deciding whether or not to attempt making plum preserves. Meeta at What's for lunch, Honey? wrote a very informative post about preserving jams, jellies, chutneys and relishes. I'm so glad I came across her blog as she has terrific info...check it out!

The actual recipe I adapted was found at Savory Sweet Life and I loved how Alice used three ingredients to make plum jam. Yes, THREE! I love easy recipes! 

I was amazed at how quickly the plums "sugared" up without the sugar. 

Dark and delicious.

Perfect for gifting.

Sweet plums...oh, yums!

Leave the skin on as the skin produces natural pectin to help the preserves "gel" up.

YUMMY!

Plum Preserves

Yield: approximately 7.5 cups of preserves

Ingredients:

• 9 c chopped plums
• 6 c sugar
• 1 Meyer lemon, juiced

Directions:

1. Wash plums, remove pit and chop into bite-sized pieces. Leave the skin ON.
2. Add chopped plums to large stock pot and add lemon juice. Cook over med heat for 5-8 mins.
3. Add sugar, stir well and cook for an add'l 20-25 mins over med-low heat. Stir occasionally and watch carefully so it doesn't boil over and make a big mess.
4. The fruit will break down as it cooks but I mashed some of the bigger chunks. I wanted a smooth but slightly chunky consistency. It was perfect.
5. Store in canning jars, and if preserving, follow canning directions carefully. I used jars and Snaplock containers knowing the preserves would get eaten up quickly. :) I portioned it out and gifted to friends and family. I even stored a couple little containers in the freezer. 

Source: Adapted from Savory Sweet Life with additional info from What's for lunch, Honey?

Lemon Juice "Cubelets"

I asked my friend for a couple of lemons from her bountiful Meyer lemon tree and she gave me four beautiful Meyer lemons. I LOVE Meyer lemons as they're so juicy and have such a great aroma. I juiced the lemons using my awesome Pampered Chef Citrus Press and put it in a glass jar. It was really nice to have fresh juice readily available and I used quite a bit in my recipes throughout the week. 

As I was getting more lemons from my friend, she suggested freezing the lemon juice in an ice cube tray so I can use a cube as needed when cooking. I have a mini ice cube tray that's perfect for the lemon juice. The "cubelets" hold about 1 tsp of liquid so it's the perfect amount for lemon juice. I can add fresh lemon juice in my recipes anytime. The cubelets are small enough that they'll melt within a minute or less. Easy. :)

They're the size of gumdrops and oh so cute. :) 

Lemon Juice Cubelets

Squeeze lemon juice and freeze in mini cube tray. When frozen, put cubes into a ziploc to keep fresh. Use whenever a recipe calls for lemon juice or add a couple of cubelets to your glass of water. Yum, right?

Source:  Inspired by JB.