One of my latest food obsessions is making homemade jam. Ever since I made Strawberry Jam a couple of months ago, I’ve been looking for new recipes to make. The September issue of Food & Wine magazine includes a few fast and easy jam recipes that have helped me create small batches of luscious jam.

Like so many things, homemade jam just tastes better than most jams from a jar. You use the best fruit that you can find and can add as much or as little sugar as you want. Homemade jam also doesn’t contain high fructose syrup, which you often see added to jams on top of regular sugar, yuck! This Plum Jam recipe makes enough for 3 1/2-pint jars at a cost of 11 cents per ounce.

Homemade Plum Jam
2 pounds small plums, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 lemon, seeded

For the plum jam, I used the prune plums from the farmers’ market that I also used for the Plum Clafoutis. The guy at my favourite stand gave me a deal on the plums since they were a bit too soft to sell. So if you get your fruit at a farmers’ market, ask whether they have any soft fruit that they want to get rid of since it is perfect for making jam.

In a large stainless saucepan, toss the cut plums with the sugar and let them stand for about an hour until the sugar is most dissolved. Stir every now and again so all the sugar gets mixed up.

Squeeze the lemon over the plums and add it to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the liquid runs off the side of a spoon in thick heavy drops, around 20 to 25 minutes. If any scum rises to the surface of the jam, just skim it off.

Once the jam is thick enough, throw out the lemon and spoon the jam into 3 1/2-pint jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top. Close the jars and let the jam cool to room temperature.

You need to store the jam in the fridge once it is cooled, and it will last for up to 3 months.