PLUM cRAzY!

You have probably made strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry jam, but have you ever considered plum jam? How about plum orange spice? I hadn't until a dear friend had a tree with a bumper crop of juicy sweet plums. I hated to see them go to waste so I did some experimenting. Now it is one of my most favorites.

This year we received a bucket of yummy yellow plums. Really, a person can and should only eat so many fresh plums at once. Eating more can lead to well... very unpleasant thoughts about plums. In order to prevent said unpleasantness I made several batches of plum and plum orange spice jam.

This time of year there are lots of foods that can be preserved for future use. Take advantage of gleaning from friends unused fruits and veggies and set some foods aside for your family. This is a great way to save money and an excellent skill to teach your kids.

Plum Orange Spice

Start with 2 1/2 cups of pitted and well chopped plums.

Add 4 1/2 cups of sugar and stir well. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Then add 3/4 cup of water to the pectin and boil over med. high heat for 1 minute.

If you want to make orange spice add in 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2 Tbsp orange zest, and 1/4 cup chopped up orange pulp at this point. Then add in the boiling hot pectin. Stir well for 3 minutes.

Then pour into clean jars and wipe off jar tops and put clean lids and rings on.

Let the jars sit out on the counter for 24 hours before putting in the freezer. Plum jam has an amazingly bright flavor. It is very fresh and in the middle of winter it will bring your mouth right back to summer tastes.

A jar of jam with a bag of scone mix and a big bow make a great gift for a special friend, sister, teacher, co-worker, neighbor, or just about anyone.

Keep checking back here for more food preserving ideas, tips, and recipes.