we're jammin'

when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.  (or at least have a bunch of your friends over for gin and tonics.)  easy. when life gives you a plum tree that suddenly thinks it's michelle duggar, you have to give it a little more thought. after 3 years of fruitless labour, the plum tree in my back yard is suddenly making up for its barren years by erupting perfectly ripe stone fruit by the bushel.  (what exactly *is* a bushel, you ask??  i know i did.  and the lovely people at wikipedia just informed me it is "equivalent to four pecks."  ah.  excellent.  glad we cleared that one up.) 

in an effort to not suddenly gain a deuce of unwanted pounds after baking a month's worth of plum desserts, i decided to try my hand at some jam.  now, i have dabbled with canning in the past, but jam-making is a first for me.  flinching from words like "pectin" and "candy thermometer," i researched the easiest, hardest-to-bugger-up, LEAST faffy jams i could, and suddenly realised i should have tried this a long, long time ago.  

now, there are many ways to get your hands on bushels of plums.  i discovered this weekend that the easiest is to invite some pals over and let your three boys go all samurai on your tree with some sticks of bamboo as you sit on the deck drinking wine and discussing cool hwhip.  however, should this not be an option, i suppose you could always just visit your local fruit market.  just make sure that you come away with a bushel.  (or at least four pecks.)

plum jam (hold the faff)

6 cups of smooshed plums 

4 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice

3 cups of sugar

firstly, remove the pits and skins of the plums.  you can either painstakingly peel them (ack) or, as i did, halve them then press through a ricer.  who has the time to peel a bushel of plums??  not this lady.  

add the smooshed plums and the lemon juice to a large, non-reactive pot, and simmer for a few minutes.  add the sugar, stir, and let bubble away like a small, delicious-smelling volcano.

whilst the jam is bubbling away, sterilise your jars for about 5 minutes in a pot of boiling water.  (don't boil the lids and bands as you'll damage the rubber.  instead, ladle some of the hot water into a bowl and have them soak for a bit until you need them.)

once the jam has thickened up nicely (after 20 minutes or so), skim any frothy fruity nonsense from the top and discard. carefully ladle your jammy, syrupy goodness into your sterilised jars, leaving about a half-inch of headroom, and tighten lids until finger-tight.

place your filled, closed jars back into the pot of boiling water (on top of a folded up tea towel to stabilise them, if you wish), and process in a steady boil for 5 mins.

remove to the side and don't disturb for a few hours to ensure a solid seal (check that the wee button on top of the lid has popped down).  

enjoy for the next year on a bit of toast with your morning coffee.  (or, i suppose, tea, depending on from which side of the atlantic you are reading this...)