Plum jam: recipes, calories, cooking secrets

Plum jam: recipes, calories, cooking secrets

Plums are a delicacy familiar to everyone since childhood. Such a fruit grows both in the southern and Siberian regions, and always pleases with its excellent taste and high yield. There are no varieties of plums: yellow, pink, red, blue, etc. In summer, people can enjoy plenty of fresh ripe fruits, but it is also possible to save them for the winter. It is enough to just make jam for this. It will be a wonderful independent dish, as well as a delicious addition to pastries, desserts, cereals and ice cream. The main thing is to properly prepare plum jam.

Origin story

Nature has always been generous with fruits and berries. Therefore, many centuries ago, our ancestors developed a recipe for jam in order to enjoy its fruits for as long as possible. Today, jams and jams are an integral part of our diet, something familiar and ordinary. But few people know that earlier only wealthy people could afford such a dish. This is due to the fact that the price of sugar was quite high. Instead of sugar, some used honey or molasses, but this also led to rather big costs.

According to historians, jam began to be made in Russia around the 12th century.To begin with, apples were used as the main ingredient, since there were a lot of them. And jam from plums and other fruits and berries began to be actively made around the 15th century. Every housewife had to know how to cook such a dish.

Now plum jam can be found on the shelves of any store. But it is always better to cook it yourself, especially if such fruits grow in your backyard.

Peculiarities

If you cook the jam correctly and do not overexpose it on fire, then all the beneficial properties that are contained in fresh plums can be stored in a jar. Ripe fruits can bring great benefits to the human body. They contain a sufficient amount of vitamins, in particular, C, E, PP, B. Plums also contain calcium, zinc, magnesium and other essential minerals.

High-quality plum jam helps to strengthen the walls of blood vessels, improve the functioning of the digestive system. It also helps to restore the normal functioning of the kidneys, as it removes excess fluid from the body. However, this property of plum jam can harm people who suffer from kidney failure, since with such an ailment, the removal of excess water is contraindicated. Also, it is better to refrain from excessive consumption of sweet jam for those who suffer from diabetes or are overweight, since this dish contains quite a lot of sugar, which will only aggravate the situation.

calories

Since any jam contains a large amount of sugar, such a product cannot be dietary. There are approximately 290 calories per 100 grams of plum jam. Therefore, for those who follow their figure, it is better not to eat it at night, especially in addition to pastries.

Choice of main ingredient

Absolutely any plums are suitable for making jam for the winter: yellow, white, black, blue, green. Garden (homemade) or purchased, large or small, with or without stones. The main thing is to remember the main nuances that should be considered when preparing fruits for cooking:

  1. Clean fruits thoroughly. Plums should be washed in clean, cool water. It is advisable to do this in a container of a suitable size, since running water can damage the thin skin of the plums. Also, do not forget to remove foliage, debris and other foreign objects.
  2. Look closely at the plums. They should not be rot and wormholes. If they are present, they must be removed immediately. The most common varieties of plums for making jam are Cherry plum, Hungarian, Renklod, Mirabel. You can boil the fruits whole or pre-cut them into slices.

Recipes

There are an incredibly large number of recipes for making plum jam. Everyone, without exception, will find exactly the one that will suit him.

Classical

This is the easiest and most popular way to make plum treats. To prepare it, you will need only 3 components: plums, granulated sugar and water. Take 1 kg of fruits, rinse them thoroughly, remove the stalks and bones. Then cut the plums into medium-sized slices. Try to keep all the slices about the same, so you will achieve even cooking of each of them. Place the prepared fruits in a container, pour half of one glass of clean water and 1 kg of sugar into them. The resulting contents must be covered with a lid and left for several hours, preferably for the whole night. This is necessary so that the plum with sugar is infused and gives juice.

Then place the container on the stove and cook the product for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly. Make sure that the jam does not burn and it does not form too much foam. You can determine the readiness of the dish by taste - just try the jam. Or you can focus on the density of the jam - it should not spread if you add a drop to the plate. If the jam is ready, you can pour it into prepared jars of the right size and roll up the lids. As you can see, the cooking process does not take much time and effort. However, you will definitely like the result!

You can prepare the most delicate, fragrant, tasty and healthy dessert from yellow fruits. The jam will look like honey, while its taste will be unusual and pleasant. Take about 3 kilograms of yellow plums and 2.5 kg of sugar. The amount of this preservative and sweetener is best adjusted based on your personal tastes and habits, as well as your health. After all, a large amount of sugar is harmful. Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan of a suitable volume, turn on the stove to the minimum temperature and place the container on the burner. Keep the future delicacy on fire until the sugar is completely dissolved and wait for it to boil. At the same time, do not forget to constantly stir the jam.

As soon as the fruits with sugar boil, note 5 minutes and cook during this time. After that, it remains only to cool the jam a little, then distribute it among pre-prepared containers, tighten the lids and leave warm for 1 or 2 days. After that, the dessert can be consumed or transferred to the cellar for long-term storage.

With cinnamon and other spices

In addition to traditional plum jam recipes, there are also very unusual and tasty options. For example, for one of them you will need 2.5 kg of fresh and peeled fruits, which must be divided into 2-4 slices, depending on the size of the plum. It is necessary to add 2.5 kg of sugar sand to the fruits, mix everything thoroughly and leave for about an hour so that the juice appears. Then you need to put the pan with the contents on a small fire, and, without covering with a lid, cook for about 60 minutes. After the dessert, you need to cool and let it brew for at least 12 hours. But the cooking process does not end there.

In the resulting jam, add a small amount of cloves and cinnamon to taste. Now put the dish on the stove and cook for about half an hour. After this, the spices must be removed. This is necessary so that they do not make the jam too rich and spoil its taste. This completes the preparation.

The finished treat can be eaten immediately or distributed in jars for storage during the winter period.

Seedless jam

Distinguishing jam and jam is very simple. The first version of the dessert is more uniform, rich in color and slightly sour in taste. In addition, jam is cooked longer than jam. As a result, it gets a little more high-calorie. Plums for such a delicacy must certainly be ripe, and they must be cooked along with the skin. Choose a fruit variety that is easy to remove seeds from.

Rinse the plums (you will need about 2.5 kg) and put them in a saucepan. Add enough water to the container so that the fruits are completely covered with it. Put the pot with this content on the fire, wait until it boils and immediately remove it.This procedure will help make the plums softer and easily remove the pits from them and peel them. The syrup obtained after boiling must be drained. And softened plums need to be whipped with a blender. If you do not have such a device at hand, then just mash the pulp with a fork and mix everything thoroughly. Then add 1.5-1.8 kg of granulated sugar to the resulting mass.

Turn on the stove at minimum power, put a saucepan with plums on it, cook for at least 3 hours, stirring constantly and removing the resulting foam. At the end of cooking, add half a spoonful of lemon acid to the contents, mix thoroughly and leave on fire for about 5 minutes, no more.

Now you can pour the resulting jam into small jars, which are then recommended to be turned upside down and placed in heat for several hours or even a couple of days, after which the delicious plum jam will be finally ready!

"Five Minute"

This is the most popular and simple recipe for making plum jam, which almost every housewife knows. If you haven't used it yet, be sure to take note. So, you will need to prepare the following ingredients: 2 kg of plums, 1 kg of sugar, a little vanilla sugar if desired. Rinse the fruits, cut into 2 equal parts. Sprinkle them with sugar and let them brew all night.

Thoroughly mix the resulting mass and put the pan with this contents on a hot stove to the maximum. And after the future delicacy boils, turn the temperature of the stove to medium and cook the jam for exactly 5 minutes. Next, you need to remove the pan from the stove, cool the plums a little, and then put it back on the fire.

But you don’t need to cook anymore, just bring the mass to a boil. The resulting jam can be poured immediately, without waiting for it to cool. As you can see, the recipe fully justifies its name. Everyone can handle this dish.

In a slow cooker

The slow cooker has long won a place of honor in almost every kitchen. With the help of this device, it is possible to significantly facilitate the process of preparing many dishes. Plum jam was no exception. It is important not to forget to pre-prepare the technique, namely, remove the steam valve. In this case, you will exclude excessive foaming of the jam.

As is the case with other options for making plum jam, the fruit must first be prepared. Remove all excess, mix the plums with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio and let it brew for about 30 minutes. Then the resulting mass must be transferred to the slow cooker, turn on the "Extinguishing" mode and leave it for 60 minutes.

If you want to make the delicacy even more delicious, you can add a little cinnamon to the fruits 10 minutes before they are ready. The resulting dessert can be immediately poured into jars.

From plums and apples

Plum and apple jam is sure to please. And it's pretty easy to cook. You will need: 1 kg of plums and apples, 500-600 grams of sugar, 100 ml of water and half a teaspoon of lemon acid. Fruits must be washed, peeled and cut into slices. Add water and granulated sugar to them and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then it is necessary to grind the resulting mass with a blender, knead with a fork or pass through a fine colander or sieve.

Next, you need to put the contents back on the fire and cook for about a quarter of an hour.At the end of cooking, put lemon acid and simmer for another 5 minutes. After that, the dessert is completely ready.

According to the same recipe, you can cook a delicacy of pears and plums.

With cinnamon and orange

For such an unusual, but very tasty dessert, you need to take 1 kg of plums, 1 medium-sized ripe orange, 3 cups of granulated sugar or honey, cinnamon sticks or ground. It is necessary to remove the stones from the plums, peel the orange. Mix the fruits with sugar, let it brew for 1 hour, then add the orange zest to the contents. It remains only to cook the jam. To do this, put the pan with the contents on medium heat and cook for about 30 minutes. After that, the zest must be removed from the contents.

The resulting delicacy can be eaten immediately or rolled into jars for the winter.

With wine and nuts

Perhaps you have never heard of the recipe for jam with wine. So it's time to try it! Prepare 5 kilograms of plums, 2 kg of granulated sugar, 400 ml of table wine (you can use white), as well as no more than 100 grams of almonds, a little cinnamon and cardamom for spice. Mix plums with sugar, leave overnight. Then put the pot with fruits on the fire, add spices and gradually pour all the alcohol into it.

It is necessary to cook until the mass turns into a thick syrup. After that, you can add nuts. Cook for another 5 minutes, and the delicious dessert is ready!

With chocolate and cognac

Cut the peeled plums into 4 equal slices, mix with sugar in a ratio of 1: 1 kg and infuse for about 8 hours. Then put the plums on a slow fire, add 1 teaspoon of gelatin and cook for about half an hour, remembering to stir often. Then add a bar of dark chocolate, divided into small slices.Boil the contents for a few minutes, then add a couple of tablespoons of alcohol, mix thoroughly and remove the pan from the stove. Unusual delicacy is completely ready to eat.

In own juice

This is another recipe for a simple, quick and delicious plum dessert that keeps well all winter long. Pour plums with sugar in a ratio of 1.5: 1 and let it brew so that the fruits release juice. Now put the contents on a slow fire, let it boil and cook for about 5 more minutes. Then remove the contents from the stove and pour into prepared jars.

With cocoa

If you want to surprise your guests and family with an unusual delicacy, then plum jam with cocoa is perfect for this. In addition, such a dessert diversifies the diet of chocolate lovers. Bones must first be removed from plums. Mark 4.5 kg of fruit in a large metal container, pour clean water into it, cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium heat. After boiling, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for about 60 minutes more. The resulting mass must be cooled, rubbed through a sieve or whipped with a blender. Now you need to put the mass back into the container, add about 500-600 grams of granulated sugar, mix well and set on fire.

After the contents boil, cook it for another hour and a half, stirring constantly. After that, add 15 tablespoons of cocoa and a little more sugar if the jam turned out to be sour. Mix everything again and pour into jars.

Helpful Hints

It is important to know the following nuances.

  • So that during the cooking process the plums do not burst and are evenly saturated with sweet syrup, they must first be pierced several times.
  • If you decide to make jam from small fruits, then you should hold them for just a couple of minutes in hot water, and only then proceed with the subsequent heat treatment. This advice does not apply to large plums.
  • To preserve the thin skin of plums during cooking, preliminary aging in hot sugar syrup will help.
  • If the variety of plum you are using to make the jam is too sour, add a little more sugar to the jam.
  • If you prefer to give up white sugar, you can replace it with honey, fructose, cane brown sugar, molasses.
  • Ripe fruits make more of a jam. Slightly unripe plums are suitable for jam.
  • The optimal ratio of sugar and plums is 1 to 1. However, the exact amount depends on the properties of the fruit of a particular variety. For example, if the fruits are not ripe enough and sour, the amount of sugar will have to be increased. If you cook ripe plums in your own juice, you will need no more than 400-500 grams of granulated sugar.
  • So that the finished plum jam does not turn out to be too liquid, it is imperative to remove the first foam, do not add too much water, and do not use overripe plums for cooking.
  • Do not forget that some varieties of plums can give the finished dish a slight bitterness. Also, such an effect can appear in the case when the jam is cooked together with the bones.
  • So that the jam does not “knit”, you need to choose the right kind of plums and the optimal amount of sugar. Blackthorn plums in particular tend to create a similar effect. Therefore, in the process of preparing a dessert, it is better to add them to the composition of softer and sweeter yellow fruits.
  • Plum jam is ideal for adding to pastries and various desserts.It can be mixed with chocolate, cocoa, orange and walnut. The options are only limited by your taste preferences.

If you don’t have fresh plums, but you still want to make jam, frozen plums are quite suitable for these purposes.

How to make plum jam, see the following video.

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The information is provided for reference purposes. Do not self-medicate. For health issues, always consult a specialist.

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