Ginger Plum Jam [with Candied Ginger Bits]

Ginger Plum Jam with Candied Ginger Bits

Jam lovers rejoice! I couldn’t help making my Paleo Plum Torte several times this fall. And the local plums this year have been fantastic. So, I knew that plum needed to be front and centre this Christmas. Plums and ginger make a perfect pairing, and this jam makes for the perfect seasonal gift. I double up on ginger flavour by both adding fresh ginger and small bits of chopped candied ginger with the last stir before canning. I’m so excited to doll these jars up with ribbon and give them to all of my friends.

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Ginger Plum Jam [with Candied Ginger Bits]

A gingery winter miracle in a jar. This no-pectin jam will have you dancing the Nutcracker Suite in your own little kitchen.

Servings: 6 half-pints

Ingredients

• 3 pounds tart plums I used a total of 27 Angeleno italian prune plums.
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 4.5 cups sugar
• 2 inch knob fresh ginger, peeled
• ¾ cup candied ginger, diced finely

Instructions

Prepare for Canning

• Clean and sterilize 6 half-pint mason jars (or the equivalent) and keep them warm.
• Fill a large water bath canner with clean water and begin to bring the water to a boil.
• Place 6 mason jar lids in a small saucepan, covering them with hot water, and set on low/simmer to keep warm.

Make the Jam

• Affix a candy thermometer to your copper or stainless jam pan or 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot.
• Halve the plums and pit them, discarding the pits. Then, chop the plums coarsely.
• Place the chopped plums, water, lemon juice, and sugar in your jam pan.
• With a microplane, grate the knob of ginger over top of the jam mixture.
• Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar as you do so.
• As the jam cooks [in the next step], dice the candied ginger into mini cubes.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat slightly [I like to waver between a 3 and 4 on my Low-1-to-6-High oven] and keep the jam at a simmer or low-boil for anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes, stirring frequently, until the jam thickens considerably and a candy thermometer reads 220℉. [My last batch took about 50 minutes, but time varies considerably due to climate, room temperature, and the wateriness of the fruit.]
• Remove the canning pot from the stove and stir in the candied ginger bits.

Can the Jam

• Ladle the jam into your warm, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace.
• Wipe jar rims clean, add a warm lid to each jar, and close with a ring, making sure each ring is not too tight by unscrewing a half-to-full turn after securing.
• Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. With the lid on the canning pot, the water should return to a rolling boil before the timer starts.
• Remove the jars from the canner and allow to cool completely on wire racks.
• You may wish to rinse the jars to remove any residual stickiness before decorating with labels and ribbons.

Notes

When coming up with your own canning recipes, it’s always good to base it on a proven and well-tested classic. This recipe is a gentle modification of the Bernadin Guide to Home Preserving Long Boil “Plum Jam.”