The first homemade jam I ever tasted was made with homegrown plums. I was just four or five years old and the trees in our backyard were having a bumper year. My mom picked enough to fill her yellow enamel colander, gave them a good rinse under the tap, and turned them in sweet, slightly drippy preserves. We ate those plums over pancakes and with oatmeal every chance we got.
Though I will often tell people that blueberries are my foundational fruit (and they were the star in my very first solo batch of jam), there is something about the flavor of plum jam that makes my brain go, “ah yes, THIS is what homemade jam should taste like.”
I recently made my first batch of plum jam for this season (I was asked by Anolon gourmet cookware to develop this particular recipe), from the same kind of sturdy black plums that used to grow in our southern California yard. I added a little ground cardamom for extra depth and I cooked the whole thing in the 7.5 quart wide stock pot from the Anolon Advanced line. Though I don’t normally gravitate towards non-stick cookware for jam making, the width and low walls of the pan made it irresistible.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post (hopefully that was clear before you got to this disclosure statement). Anolon has compensated me for the creation of the plum jam recipe. They sent me the stockpot in which I made the jam (I did really like it, though), and they’re providing the cookware set for the giveaway. The thoughts and words are still all entire mine.
Plum Cardamom Jam
Ingredients
- 5 pounds plums
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash plums well and cut them in half to remove pits. Slice the plums into thin half moons and heap them into a low, wide pan.
- Add the sugar and stir to combine. Cover the pan and let the plums macerate for at least an hour.
- When the plums are quite juicy and most of the sugar has dissolved, remove the cover from the pan and place it on the stove.
- Add the cardamom and lemon juice and bring the fruit to a boil.
- Cook the fruit at a controlled boil, stirring regularly, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the plums soften and the syrup thickens. You’ll know when the jam is done because it will become more resistant to stirring, and when you pull the spoon out of the pan, the droplets will be thick and slow moving.
- While the plums cook, prepare a boiling water bath canner and 8 half pint jars.
- When the jam is done, remove the pan from the heat. Funnel it into the prepared jars.
- Wipe the rims, apply the heated lids and clean rings, and process the closed jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes (do not start your timer until the pot returns to a full, rolling boil).
- Once the time is up, remove the jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. The lids should seal promptly and will often make a pinging or popping sound as the vacuum forms. When the jars are sealed, the center of the lids will be concave and when pressed, the lid will not move or wiggle.
Very fond of my Le Creuset oval dutch oven. It’s a pretty blue color, enameled cast iron.
I love my itty bitty 6″ cast iron skillet. Perfect for grilled sandwiches, an egg, or (if I’m feeling brave) a crepe or two.
My favorite cookware? My stoneware! I use it for EVERYTHING baked!
Enamled cast iron dutch oven for sure! It’s good for just about everything.
I have a random 3 qt pot with two handles that was a wedding gift. I have no idea if it’s actually high quality, but that pot is my go-to pot for everything that will fit in it. Straight sides, good lid. The only thing I don’t like to use it for is popcorn, on my gas range, I need a long handle to get a really good shake going.
My favorite pot is my Le Creuset dutch oven I purchased at the Le Creuset outlet!
We have bulk foods store in our little community, and they had a large deep pan that I wanted for making jams. Last year was a jam flop when I tried to make large batches. Now I know why you do not do that. My husband went and picked up that pan, and I love it. I use it for jam and sauteing my pickled peppers.
I have teenagers, so my main dish has to be plentiful. I have a large 14″ skillet that is deep enough for double batches of whatever I make for dinner. It’s really starting to show some wear but I refuse to get rid of it until I find a suitable replacement!
My favorite piece of cookware is my Lodge Dutch oven that I use for camping. It is so much fun to cook outdoors.
my favorite piece of cookware is my All-Clad 10″ skillet (with lid)…I was a diehard devotee of cast iron until I got the all-clad on wicked sale (still a big fan of the cast iron, tbh), but I really love the versatility and the fact it can go in the dishwasher! (Lazy, but oh well!)
Since seeing your demo in Seattle, I have been using a skillet for all of my small batch jams and jellies. It is easier and I can see if I missed any skins or cherry pits. Now I only use the dutch oven for big jobs.
My favorite piece is my knife. While I may not always use it for cooking, I am ALWAYS using it.
I suppose if I had to pick a single piece of cookware to keep above all others it’d be a nice Dutch oven. I find that that’s the piece I turn to most often in my kitchen. About a year and a half ago I was fortunate enough to be able to replace all of my cookware with the 30 piece All-Clad Copper Core set and I absolutely love every piece. I find myself reaching for my 8 quart Dutch oven constantly. It’s also a fantastic jam cooking pot!
My favorite piece of cookware is a teal enameled cast iron Dutch oven. It’s great for just about everything, and after five years, it still looks great on the table 🙂
I received a set of cast iron pans for Christmas last year and I have been loving them! They require a bit more effort, but the way they cook everything makes it worth it.
I use a non-stick shallow pan the most, but my favorite is my cast iron pan.
My dutch oven is my go to pot, but I also love a cast iron pan that was my Dad’s. 🙂
I use my 16 gallon stockpot from a local discount store (it cost a whopping $14 on sale) the most in my kitchen. I love to make jam and pickles. My co-workers complain at Christmas if I don’t bring them each a jar of something special. I really enjoy doing it. The satisfaction of seeing those lovely jars on the pantry shelves is quite gratifying. I’d love to have a dutch oven. There are so many wonderful recipes I can’t try because I don’t have one. I keep looking on the clearance shelves but I haven’t seen one yet. Fingers crossed.
Being single, my most used pans are my 8 & 10″ fry pans.
My Dutch oven is never off the stove.
I would definitely say its my dutch oven. So many ways to use it.
I love my crock pot, especially in the fall with all the amazing soups and comfort foods <3
I love my nearly 100 year old cast iron skillet. Used to be my great-grandma’s who lived to be 102! Who said new is better??
The go-to item I usually fall back on is my steamer pot. I don’t like to cook veggies in water, so I prefer to steam them, and if I cook down the water I can add it to stock for soup!
I love my dutch oven! I’m ready for cooler weather so I can make more soups and stews in it. But today, we get to make peach jam together. 🙂
I love my Revere Ware copper-clad Dutch oven that I got as part of a set for a wedding shower gift 25 YEARS AGO! I have used that one piece at least once a week for all the weeks I have been married. I even made my FIRST EVER black raspberry jam in it this year!! It reminds me so much of my Grandma to make black raspberry jam. It was the most highly anticipated and absolute best birthday gift I ever received to get a small jar of this jam from her. 🙂
My Club aluminum Dutch oven gets the most use in my kitchen.
My favorite cookware is my soup pot!
I love my cast iron skillet. I use it daily.
I prefer anodized aluminum to other metals for cookware, so I would love the Analon set. Having to choose my favorite of what I already have, I’d have to go with my Calphalon skillet. It’s great for skillet pastas, curries, cornbread, and almost anything else I’d throw at it.
My favorite cookware is a saucepan.
I have a cast iron dutch oven that is my go to for jyst about anything!
Cast iron skillets…always! Or maybe my crock pot? IDK
I love my cast iron skillet.
My Le Creuset French oven. So great.
I use my stainless steel skillet for most of my small batch jams and jellies – the size is just right and it’s so easy to clean.
The last gift my mother gave me was a set of black Le Creuset pots and pans. I think of her and smile when I use them. She probably knew that would happen when she gifted them to me.
My favorite piece of cookware is an enamel coated dark blue Staub cast iron skillet. It’s large, cooks beautifully, and can handle many of my dishes. I even have a stray lid that fits it perfectly.
My favorite pan is from Ikea! Super non stick and sturdy and it was inexpensive, so I dont feel bad using it hard.
I love my enamel stock pot for making jam. And my metal roasting pan. Thanks!
Not sure if this counts a cookware but I’m very fond of my vitamix and love how versatile and useful it is. Looking forward to reading this site and trying out the tempting recipes!
A free non-stick skillet I got by collecting stamps at the grocery store. It’s the one pan I haven’t managed to ruin.
A cast iron skillet that was my great-grandma’s.
A little tiny egg skillet, I love it, use it for everything I can!
I loooove my deep sauté pan – I use it for everything! So versatile. 🙂
My cookware is in pretty shabby shape right now because I’m a student (almost 30, in grad school, and just haven’t ever had the budget for nice cookware). I just had to replace my nonstick pan after it overheated. The new one, as cheap as it was, is amazing!! I cooked pancakes without a drop of oil or butter. Granted, butter would have made them taste better. But it didn’t stick!
I was browsing the shelves at my local Value U Village and I came across large, orange Le Cruset skillet. The moment I saw it I let out a little gasp and grabbed it up as fast as I could. While a little heavy, it has been a great skillet and I love the story of how I got it!
My cast iron griddle. One side is flat and the other ribbed. Since it fits over 2 burners, either side will cook an entire meal for 2.
Love my Le Creuset dutch oven AND my cast iron skillets! Can’t wait to try the plum cardamom jam!
We have All-Clad cookware and I love all my pots and pans. My husband and I cook a lot, and our kids join in too, and although they are heavy, they are amazing to cook with!