Remember those free plums we picked up the other day? Well this morning I whipped up a batch of cinnamon plum jam using a low sugar recipe. Even though I’ve canned enough jam this summer to last the next year or two, I just can’t stop trying new jam recipes when I find them.
I think all the fruits and vegetables we’ve been eating are finally starting to get to me. My inner pilgrim is shining through, and at this pace I fully expect to be darning socks and salting mackerel by Christmas.
Canning 101 – Cinnamon Plum Jam Low Sugar Recipe
Ingredients
4 cups chopped plums {I left the peels on}
1/4 cup lemon juice {I used bottled}
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons Ball Low Sugar Pectin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Bring a boiling-water canner, 3/4 full with water, to simmer.
- Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water.
- Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat.
- Let stand in hot water until ready to use.
- Drain well before filling.
- Measure 4 cups chopped plums into 6- or 8-qt. sauce pot. Add pectin and stir. Add lemon juice.
- Bring plum mixture to a full rolling boil, reduce heat, and stir in sugar.
- Return to a full rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid boiling over.
- Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.
- Stir in cinnamon.
- Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops.
- Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.}
- Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min.
- Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary}.
Looking for a few more canning recipes? Search my Full List of Canning Recipes
Looking for a good canning book? Here’s a list of my favorites:
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
- Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
- Food in Jars
- The Amish Canning Cookbook
- Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Also, check out these tutorials if you’ve never used a canner before:
Tutorial: Hot Water Bath Canning
Tutorial: How to Use a Pressure Canner
Jennifer O says
Well I bet that jam will come in handy for bartering. I bought a tiny jar of homemade jam at a local farmer’s market for $9! Yes,, expensive but it was Carrot Cake Jam, and the best I’ve ever had (I’m a bit of a jam enthusiast and this one make me swoon). I’ll be paying them another $9 at some point, I’m sure. So yeah, some of us take our jams seriously and would love to barter for a yummy homemade jam like this.
Lisa R says
That jam looks delicious. I have started making some this year also but unfortunately there isn’t anywhere I know to get plums(except the hard unripe ones in the grocery store *bleck*!!). I bet you will get some good items in trade for that jam! I know I would trade if I were closer to you!
Beckybeq says
Ah, you can *never* have enough jam! :o) I make plenty extra for Christmas and “just because” gifts. I’m even getting requests from my sister for what flavors she’d like to see in her mailbox. When my kids were little, we would make fleece blankets for each of their teachers. Now that they’re in middle school, with multiple teachers, we send jam instead – much easier.
Stephanie says
HI Mavis – I am new to canning jam, have always just made the easy peasy strawberry freezer stuff before. I made this recipe today and its still a bit liquidy in my jars (which all sealed, yeah!). Any ideas what I did wrong? Since I wasnt sure how many tablespoons of pectin was in the low sugar box, I opened it and measured out 4.5 T. Should I have used the whole box? Can I still save my jam?
Stephanie says
Just wanted to update – By the next morning my jam had set. I guess I wasnt being patient enough! And it tastes AMAZING! I have been adding to plain greek yogurt this week and it tastes so much better than the preflavored stuff you can buy!
Desi says
I just made this and it is yummy, yummy, yum! My kids don’t like chunks so I threw the whole plum with the skin on in a blender, I took the pit out of course. I liquified and then followed your recipe, using 4 cups of liquified plum. The kids ate some on a spoon and they want more. It’s delicious!
Thanks Mavis! your Rock
Vanessa Holcombe says
Hi Mavis,
I just found your website when searching for a low sugar jam recipe. I have a question though: Do you think I could substitute using honey instead of sugar? If so, would you know how much honey I should use in your recipe? Something like 1/2 C.? Any advice would be helpful.
Thank you,
Vanessa
Debbie says
I wondered the same thing, Vanessa. I am thinking of using beet sugar – and I’m wondering about raw sugar. I happened upon this site, too, looking for a low-sugar plum jam – and I’m planning to use the Pomona Pectin. I’m fairly new to canning. If you got any info on the honey version or tried it, please post how it turned out. I want to be sure my jam stays fine for holiday gifting in Nov. and Dec. I’m planning to make it today or tomorrow.
Vanessa Holcombe says
Hi Debbie! I never heard from Mavis on my honey question, but I followed her recipe and used one cup honey. The jam did not set up solid, which really doesn’t matter to me. It may have to do with how ripe my fruit was (the plums were very ripe). The recipe is very good, but when I do it again, I will reduce the honey amount even more.
I hope you have good success with the beet sugar.
Vanessa Holcombe says
OOPS! Debbie, I just realized I used a different recipe than the one above. But, I’m sure Mavis’ is good, too. The one I did was called a low sugar Spiced Plum Jam and had allspice, cinnamon sticks, cloves and black peppercorns. You simmer the spices and strain the water and add the spiced water into the fruit, pectin and sugar. But I used honey. The recipe called for 1 1/2 C. sugar to 1 1/4 lbs. of plums. I used 1 C of honey, but would reduce it even more next time. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Jeromy says
I may have ruined this batch 🙁 I bought the pectin ahead and I have never canned anything before, so think I got the wrong pectin, the high sugar needed kind (liquid). It is cooling as I type and looks pretty runny still….. 🙁 Any ideas? Can it be fixed or do we now have a yummy syrup for pancakes? 🙂
Cheers!
Pris says
Can this recipe be tripled
Terry says
I doubled it and it came out great! I was wondering though, how does 4 cups of fruit turn into 5.5 pints of jam? I did 8 cups of fruit and got a little over 4 pints. Thanks, Terry