Jam

Something I like to do, as a way of marking the seasonal change from summer to autumn, however small that change may be here in Western Australia, is make a batch of preserves. Some years it's pickles, others chutney or relish, and sometimes I’ll make a more than one, depending on what is seasonally cheap at the market or comes my way. This year it was a two kilo bag of undersized blood plums, some ripe, some not so ripe. Perfect for jam. 

My favourite, and really the only recipe I’ve ever used for plum jam, is from Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management; it’s a no fail. The Mode does instruct that the preserving pan should be stood, “by the side of the fire to simmer gently”, but simmering on the lowest setting of the gas jet works just fine. 

This particular jam, is always done in the time allocated by the recipe, and Mrs Beeton doesn’t give instructions on how or when to test for setting point, but I always do it anyway, using the old fashioned ‘wrinkle’ method. 

Here are the jars all lidded and labelled. The tiny one is for my Mum, and will be posted early next week with some biscuits, to arrive (hopefully), in time for Easter, and the medium jars will go to friends. That's the best thing about 'preserving', there's always plenty to go around.