Plum & Apple Jam is the perfect autumn jam. Delicate in flavour with a beautiful pinkish red colour it’s perfect for breakfast or teatime!
Today I’m rejuvenating my very popular Plum & Apple Jam recipe with some new photography and a few tweaks to the copy!
After receiving a glut of plums from my mum and having windfall Bramley apples in the fridge, it didn’t take me long to decide to make Plum & Apple Jam. After tasting it my husband paid me the biggest compliment telling me I really was a jam expert.
I’m not sure about that but I just love making jam and like anything, the more you do something the better you get! To anyone who’s never made jam before it really is just a matter of washing jars, sterilising them in the oven, dissolving your sugar in the fruit and then boiling and stirring. Please do give it a go and I’m sure you’ll get hooked too!
I must say this Plum & Apple Jam has become a firm favourite and is just fab for breakfast, the apple gives it a lovely delicate flavour. Better still my ultra fussy daughter even likes it as she’ll usually only ever eat Strawberry Jam, she also likes its pretty colour.
What steps do you need to take before making Plum & Apple Jam?
Before you start you’ll need to sterilise about 10 – 12 jam jars (see notes in recipe) and place 3 saucers/plates in the freezer.
Is the weight of the fruit before or after preparing?
The weights given are for the whole fruits.
How should I store this jam and how long will it keep?
All my jams are best kept in a cool, dark, dry place and eaten within 12 months for the optimum quality. However, jam will be safe to eat after many years as the sugar acts as a preservative. Once open, store in the fridge and use within a few months (always using a clean spoon to serve).
How do you make Plum & Apple Jam?
- Weigh and prepare the plums and apple, quarter the plums and peel and chop the apple.
- Put the chopped plum and apple into a preserving pan (or similar) with 600 mls of water.
- Simmer the fruit for about 15 minutes until soft.
- Add the granulated sugar.
- Heat gently to dissolve.
- Bring to a rolling boil for 12 minutes, whilst stirring,
- Test for set on a chilled saucer (jam will crinkle when a finger is pushed through it).
- Skim any foam off the surface with a spoon.
- Ladle jam into sterilised jars using a jam funnel (if you have one).
- Place lids on immediately.
More Jam Recipes using Plums & Apples
More Jam Recipes using Plums & ApplesI do hope you make my glorious jam! For more jam inspiration you might also like:
- Mirabelle Plum Jam
- Greeengage Jam
- Damson Jam
- Sloe & Apple Jam
- Christmas Jam
- Easy Plum Jam
- Blackberry & Apple Jam
- Gooseberry & Apple Jam
- Fig, Apple & Pomegranate Jam
Do let me know if you make my Plum & Apple Jam by leaving a comment and rating. You can also share your creations with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, just tag @fabfood4all – I love seeing my recipes come to life!
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Plum & Apple Jam
Equipment
- Digital scales
- Preserving pan (or similar)
- Wooden spoon
- ladle
- jam funnel
- 10 - 12 jam jars & lids
Ingredients
- 1 Kg plums stoned & quartered (I used Marjorie)
- 1 Kg Bramley apples cooking apples, peeled cored and roughly chopped
- 1.8 Kg granulated sugar
- 600 mls water
Instructions
- Place water, plums and apples into a preserving pan and simmer until fruit is softened (about 15 minutes).
- Add sugar over a low heat and stir until dissolved (do not simmer).
- Bring to a rolling boil and time for 12 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Take off the heat and test on a chilled plate (place in fridge for 30 seconds), if it crinkles (is jelly like) when you drag your finger through it, it’s ready.
- If not boil for another couple of minutes at a time and repeat test.
- Skim off any foam from the surface with a spoon.
- Ladle the jam into the hot sterilised jars using a jam funnel if you have one (it makes it much easier) and screw the lids on immediately..
- Will make 10 - 12 small to average sized jars, about 1.68 litres.
Video
Notes
- Sterilise jars by washing in hot soapy water (or take straight from dishwasher), fill with boiling water, empty and then place in oven for 20 minutes at 140°C where you leave them until the jam is ready. Washed lids should be sterilised with boiling water and then left to drain (if they don’t dry in time I pop them in the oven once the jars have finished “cooking” and just run the fan to dry them off for a few minutes).
- Place 3 saucers in the freezer for testing set.
Jacqui – Only Crumbs Remain/Recipes Made Easy
I love the colour of this jam and the flavour combination as you say Autumn in a jar
Camilla
Thank you Jacqui, it is a joy of a jam:-)
Gemma Woolley
Hello
I have bramley apples and Victoria plums but only 1kg of granulated sugar. Can I top up with demerara? Will it still work? Or can I reduce the amount of sugar?
Thanks
Camilla
Hi Gemma, I have never used demerara sugar to make jam but think that the flavour would be too overpowering and spoil the taste of the jam. I would reduce the amount of fruit to suit the amount of sugar you have and just make less.
Carrie Asplund
I have yellow plums and green tart apples, should I use more sugar so that the jam sweeter?
Camilla
Hi Carrie, no don’t use any more sugar as Bramley Apples are tart apples!
Anamika
I love different types of cooking apple. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe……………….
Camilla
Enjoy:-)
sheenam @ thetwincookingproject
Love the colour!! this looks amazing.
Camilla
Thank you, yes it’s such a pretty colour:-)
Janice
Plums have such a great flavour and make a delicious jam. Your photos look fantastic, the jam looks so tempting. Thanks for including a link to my recipe.
Camilla
Thank you Janice, yes plums do make delicious jam and the apple just takes it to the next level:-)
Jen
Do you have to water bathe these to preserve it?
Or can you?
Without doing that what is the shelf life?
Thanks!!
I have a lot of plums and this recipe sounds delish!
Camilla
Hi Jen, we don’t water bath jam in Europe and the shelf life is long. I usually say the flavour is best in the first year but a pot of unopened jam can last years in a cool, dark place. I believe water bathing is often done in the US etc but I have no knowledge of it so wouldn’t be able to advise on this.
Choclette
Gorgeous photos. They make me want to dive right in. Love plum jam, though I’ve never made it with apple before.. Luckily, I made some last month, so I can now head straight to the kitchen and have me some plum jam on toast – that’s what you’ve done to me!
Camilla
Lol Choclette, glad to have got your taste buds tickled:-)
Crystal Baxter
Can you use a different type of cooking apple?
Camilla
Hi Crystal, yes, any sour cooking apple would do the job:-)
Lisa
Not sure what I did wrong but it took over 45 mins on a rolling boil before it set
Camilla
Did you increase the recipe quantities?
Lisa
No I stuck to the recipe as it’s my first attempt at ham making, they turned out fine just took way longer than 12mins
Camilla
Hard to know what went wrong without being there, my only other guess would be that it wasn’t a full frothy rolling boil. I’ve never had a jam take anywhere near that long to boil.
William Patrick.
Do you add Pectin or not .
Camilla
Hi William, there is pectin the the apples. I don’t use pectin in any of my jam recipes, but use lemon juice to aid the jelling process where needed ie with low pectin fruits.
Dawn
I love this recipe & use it every year, so thank you! But each year I can’t remember if the weights are of the fruit as it comes off the tree? Or if it’s the weight after they’ve been peeled / de-stoned? Please let me know, then I’ll see this comment each year and know!
Camilla
Hi Dawn, it’s the weight as they come off the trees. Happy jam making:-)
Carole Herdman
I’m never sure whether the weight of fruit is before or after peeling/ stoning etc.
Camilla
If a recipe says 300g of peeled apples that’s after peeling, if it says 300g apples, peeled then you’re weighing 300g of apples and peeling. I never weigh my fruit after peeling or at least not that I can think of there may be the odd exception but it would be stated. I hope that helps. I allow for the weight of the waste when calculating how much sugar to add.