You will love this traditional family plum jam recipe! It is made with fresh local, sweet and juicy Italian prune plums with very little sugar. Perfect jam for those dessert and pastries or simply enjoy it on a slice of toast!
This delicious plum jam recipe is the all time family favourite and it goes back generations. When my Grandmother and Grandfather came to Canada, they had a few fruit trees in their backyard and my Grandma would make jams and preserves with some of the fruit. Then Mom starting making her own jams, preserves and canning all kinds of fruits and vegetables as our family started to grow. With a family of nine children, our cold cellar was full of canned goods and Mom made a point of having a few jars of this delicious plum jam. We were so blessed with all of the abundance of food we were able to grow and preserve from the our farm.
The beauty of making jam with plums is they are a late seasonal fruit which most often tends to be sweeter. So sweet fruit requires less sugar and that is the reason this recipe needs so little sugar.
Plum jam is popular in the Hungarian kitchens. It was most often made for their pastries and cakes. One cake in particular our family has made for generations, it is the Hungarian Layered Walnut and Plum Cake. It is our favourite cake and for good reason.
WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE
- You only need 2 ingredients….plums and sugar…NO WATER OR PECTIN
- Will take you HALF the time to cook this plum jar by first adding the plums to a food processor
- This plum jam recipe is DELICIOUS…sweet and hints of tartness
- A perfect jam to add to pastries, desserts, muffins, yogurt parfait, toast
- SUPER EASY recipe…this plum jam recipe doesn’t require a BATH WATER
TWO SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
Plums: our preference is the Italian prune plums for this recipe and Mom said these were the best plums to use to make lekvar…Hungarian plum jam, for their sweetness, rich texture and colour.
Sugar: the only sugar I have used is the fine cane sugar, less processed or regular white sugar
HELPFUL TIP
I watched Mom for years making this plum jam and she would cook these plums for hours and hours at a time, almost an entire day. Whether she cooked them on the stove or in the oven. Mind you, she made several more jars.
Since I only make a few jars for myself and my family, I came up with the idea of adding the pitted plums to a food processor to reduce the amount of cooking time. I have to say my cooking was reduced by at least HALF of the time!!
HOW TO MAKE PLUM JAM
When choosing plums for jam, sort through them and make sure they don’t have any bruising, blemishes or spots that are showing they are starting to spoil. They should be firm, yet when pressed slightly they will give and show a small indentation. The colour should be a rich vibrant deep purple-blue in colour.
Inside of the plum will be a golden in colour and if they are green and the pit is difficult to remove, then they aren’t completely ripe and need more time. I like to remove them from the basket or container and spread them out in a cool area.
Wash the plums thoroughly, cut them in half and remove the pit. Place in a food processor. Pulse for about 8-10 seconds, long enough for the plums to break down and forms a thick liquid. Refer to my photos.
On medium-low heat, pour the plum mixture into a Dutch oven or large sauce pot and once it starts to boil, reduce heat to a simmer for 2½-3 hours. Stir occasionally to avoid the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Most jams were make or see when we purchasing them are thinner compared to this plum jam. I have only known to cook this jam long enough for a thicker consistency. This plum jar is rich in texture and colour, spreadable and it is sweet with hints of tartness which we love!
Wash jars in a dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water. Place them upside down on a clean towel until ready for sterilizing.
To sterile jars, place clean jars in a 250°-275°F (120°-130°C) oven for 20 minutes. Sterile lids the same way, either in the oven or in a sauce pot with boiling water, leaving them in for at least 5 minutes. Then transfer them to the oven to dry, before adding to the jars. Make sure the lids are dry before adding to the jars to avoid them from rusting.
Once the jars and lids are ready, add the jam to the jars, and wipe the rim with a paper towel. Place the hot lids on top and tightly seal each jar. NO bath required. Once you hear them pop, they have sealed.
Store in a cool dark place, usually in a cold cellar or basement for up to 12 months.
WAYS TO ENJOY THIS DELICIOUS PLUM JAM
- HUNGARIAN LAYERED WALNUT AND PLUM CAKE
- STREUSEL PLUM FILLED CINNAMON MUFFINS
- PASTRIES, CAKES, DOUGHNUTS, DESSERTS
- BREAKFAST..ON TOAST OR YOGURT PARFAIT
Easy 2-Ingredient Plum Jam -Szilva Lekvár
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Dutch oven or large sauce pot
- 3 500ml or 16 oz canning jars with lids
- baking tray
- small pot
Ingredients
- 5½-6 lbs Italian prune plums
- 1/2 cup fine cane sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the jars ahead of time by washing them in the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water, rinsing well. Set the jars aside on a clean tea towel and cover them with another clean tea towel until ready to sterilize them.
- Wash the plums thoroughly, cut them in half and remove the pit. Place in a food processor. Pulse for about 10 seconds, long enough for the plums to break down and forms a thick liquid. Refer to my photos. Pour the plum mixture into the Dutch oven or sauce pot.
- On medium heat, pour the plum mixture into a Dutch oven or large sauce pot and once it starts to boil, reduce heat to a simmer for 2½-3 hours. Stir occasionally to avoid the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Wash jars in a dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water and rinse well to remove any soap. Place them upside down on a clean towel until ready for sterilizing.
- To sterile jars, place clean jars in a 250°-275°F (120°-130°C) oven for 20 minutes. Sterile lids the same way, either in the oven or in a sauce pot with boiling water, leaving them in for at least 5 minutes. Then transfer them to the oven to dry, before adding to the jars. Make sure the lids are dry before adding to the jars to avoid them from rusting.
- Once the jars and lids are ready, add the jam to the jars, and wipe the rim with a paper towel. Place the hot lids on top and tightly seal each jar. NO bath required. Once you hear them pop, they have sealed.
- Store in a cool dark place, usually in a cold cellar or basement for up to 12 months.
