The Richmond Sharing Farm had some golden plums for the food preservation workshop. The plums were donated by people who has plum trees in their backyard. For those of you who like to donate your fruits to the sharing farm, give them a call and volunteers from the farm will be arranged to pick the fruits. You do not have to pick them yourself.  The Richmond Sharing Farm contacts can be found here: http://www.richmondfruittree.com/contact_us.html.

Initially, Karen wanted to make pickled plums. However, when she saw the ripeness of the plum which is not suitable for pickled plums which require firmer plum, Karen switched to make Spiced Golden Plum Jam. Hence, the photo of the ingredients is not so accurate.

Ingredients

• 1 cinnamon stick, about 10 cm or 4 inches, broken into pieces
• 4 to 6 cardamon pods
• 1.6 kg yellow plums, halved and pitted (about 3 1/2 lbs)
• 125ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened apple juice, optional if the golden plum is very juicy
• 1.65 litre (6 2/3 cups) granulated sugar
• 1 pouch (85 ml/3 oz) liquid pectin

Maria brought up a concern on the liquid pectin which has sodium benzoate which when combine with vitamin C (ascorbic acid) which naturally exists in fruits, will form benzene, a known carcinogen. However, Karen said the amount that is consumed via such preserved food is considered below the dangerous level. If you are concern, try to use those powder form or make your own pectin which I will cover next.

Source: this recipe is from Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving via Karen DW

Prep time: 30 minutes + preparation of jars and lids;  Yield about 7, 250ml (8oz) jars

Instructions

Prepare canner:

Any large pot can be a canner. Just ensure that the pot is tall enough to hold water at least 2.5cm/1 inch deeper than your tallest jar. Place a cooling rack on the bottom of the pot, to raise the jars off the surface (helps to avoid excessive agitation). You can make a canning rack by tying a few old jar rings together with twist ties or twine. Otherwise, line the bottom of the canner with towels.

Prepare jars:

Wash with hot, soapy water, rinsing well. Inspect jars, and discard any with nicks. chips, or scratches, as these flaws can cause breakage. Set the jars into your canner, fill with water, and bring to simmering. Do not boil. Keep warm until ready to fill.

Prepare lids:

Wash with hot, soapy water, rinsing well. Heat the seals in hot, not boiling water, for 5 minutes. Rings do not need to be heated. When using, remove, remove lids from hot water using a non-metallic device, rubber gloves, or a magnetic stick. Avoid using any tools which may scratch or nick the sealing compound or the inside liner of the lid.

In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine plums, apple juice, cinnamon sticks and cardamon pods. You may tie the cinnamon sticks and cardamon pods in a square of cheesecloth or spice bag for easier retrieval later.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Partially cover, reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon sticks and cardamon pods.

Measure 4 1/2 cups (1.125 liter) of the cooked mixture into another saucepan. Add sugar.

Since Karen did not have cardamon pods, she added a pinch of ground cardamon at this stage. Return the saucepan to the stove. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Canning Process:

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles with a none metallic spatula and adjust headspace, if neccessary. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to finger-tip tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Karen, thank you for sharing again. Just a reminder to the participants of the food preservation workshop to wear toe covered shoes for safety reason, advice from Karen.