plum jam

One of my friends at the rock gym mentioned plums were ripe in the area.  I knew there were plum trees on the esplanade down Heights.  The Heights association in my neighborhood has done a good job about planting trees.  There is also a foraging park south of where I live but I do not need to go there.  I just went for a walk with Bear after school.  I filled my portable container with plums.

The plum is a European plum, which is an old breed of plum tree.  The plums are very small.  The pit and pulp are about equal amounts.  Koda Bear and I picked up plums that were all levels of ripeness.  Some were so ripe that they were starting to ferment.  Some were not ripe at all.  They all went in the pot.

It is a lot of work to get all the pits out.

Very every cup of fruit I put in the pot, I put a half a cup of sugar.  I then cook until the jam is 220 degrees Fahrenheit or pours like a sheet (not drops) off a spoon that has been put in the freezer.  I have a decided that I really like jam that is not set too hard so I usually go for 200 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit if I am using a thermometer.  Looking at the jam come off the spoon, I am looking for the same consistency of jam that I wish to spread on toast.  

For five cups of fruit, I go almost three pints of jam.  This jam turned out sweeter then I expected.  The plums have a tartness to them but with all levels of ripeness and cooking, it mellows.

It is a memory for my Beloved.  His Grandma made plum jam and it was his favorite.  My best friend made greengage plum jam and it brought back memories even though it was bright green.  The European plum jam is not the same plums as Nanny had but the flavor is close.  Plums.  

We actually foraged plums yesterday and I made another batch of jam today.  Three and a half pints this time.  I think I had more help with the foraging.  

mountain jam

So much about going to the mountain is maintenance.  My Beloved and I cleared the path to Canada (the end looks towards Canada) with the tractor and the clippers.  I am horrible!  If I think it is going to hit me in the head, it comes down!  Including any berries.  I clipped back huckleberries.

Since we have cleared out trees to make room for the possibilities of gardens, we are actually getting berries now.  Mountain berries crawl over things.  The seem to get no higher then knee high and have the tiniest blackberries on the brambles.  But the flavor so good!  I usually think blackberries need sugar because they are a bit tart.  I find the invasive Himalayan blackberries are tart like that.  Or store bought strawberries.  These are berries that make your teeth hurt because they are so sweet.

The blackberries were what was most ripe.  But there were also salmon berries, a few huckleberries, and a few thimble berries.  We picked for a couple three hours and came away with about 3 quarts of berries.  There was no way they would have travled well cross country.  The thimble berries and salmon berries all but crush in your fingers when they are ripe.  Even in the Yeti container I was picking into they would not have made it.  I made jam at my parents with the berries.

2 cups of washed picked clean berries to 1 cup sugar.  Bring to a simmer and let cook until a bit of juice slowly runs down a plate.  I take my finger nail through it and see if it stays where it is put.  If it does, the jam is done.  I

bought a sourdough French from one of the bakeries I like it Bellingham.  With butter, that just makes breakfast so good.  I had to make a loaf of French bread when I got home.  The only negative is that I am still not on the mountain.  I would be picking berries every day and making jam.  25 pounds of sugar back in my life.  But I have little bit of mountain with me until it is gone.  1 and 1/2 quarts of jam.  

And more memories of sunsets.