While this recipe was originally devised for Victoria plums, its balance of sugar, pectin, and acidity means it works beautifully with most plum varieties you’ll find in Europe. By adjusting the pectin and lemon juice slightly depending on the natural pectin and acidity of your chosen plums, you can achieve the same reliably firm set every time.
Below is a quick reference table for common plum varieties available in Europe, their typical pectin content, and how you might adjust the recipe for best results.
For clarity the weight of the fruit is the weight after it has been stoned.
| Plum Variety | Common Colour | Natural Pectin | Suggested Pectin (g/kg) | Lemon Juice (ml/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Red/purple skin, golden flesh | Moderate | 15 | 35 |
| Greengage (Reine Claude) | Green skin, green/golden flesh | Moderate–High | 13 | 33 |
| Damson | Dark purple skin, yellow/green flesh | High | 12 | 28 |
| Mirabelle | Yellow skin, golden flesh | Moderate | 15 | 33 |
| Opal | Reddish skin, yellow flesh | Moderate–Low | 16 | 38 |
| Stanley | Purple skin, yellow flesh | Moderate | 15 | 33 |
| Japanese-type (e.g., Santa Rosa) | Red to deep purple, amber/red flesh | Low | 17 | 40 |
* Adjust pectin amount based on stoned fruit weight.
** Lemon juice amount based on stoned fruit weight; 1 medium lemon yields ~30 ml juice.
How to use the table
- High pectin plums ike damsons may need slightly less added powdered pectin for a softer set.
- Low pectin plums like Japanese varieties benefit from a little extra powdered pectin and lemon juice.
- The lemon juice amount ensures the right acidity for pectin activation and adds a bright note to the jam’s flavour.
Plum Jam
Ingredients
- 2 Kg Victoria plums, stoned and halved The weight of the fruit is the weight after it has been stoned
- 1.5 Kg granulated sugar
- 30 g powdered pectin
- 70 g lemon juice
Instructions
- Sterilise 12 × 250 ml jars and their lids by boiling for 10 minutes or heating in an oven at 140 °C. Keep hot until ready to fill.
- Whisk together sugar and pectin in a bowl,
- In a preserving pan, combine plums and lemon juice. Add 75–100 ml water if fruit is very firm. Simmer gently for 12–15 min until starting to break down.
- Remove pan from heat, stir in sugar–pectin mixture until dissolved.
- Bring to a vigorous rolling boil and hold 1–2 min, or until jam reaches 105 °C / passes plate test.
- For a firmer jam, remove from heat and let the jam cool for 10–15 minutes. Then return to the heat and boil again for about 2 minutes to lock in a firmer texture.
- Skim any foam, ladle jam into the hot jars leaving about 5 mm headspace, and seal with lids.
- Place jars into a large pot of boiling water, ensuring they are submerged by at least 2–3 cm. Once the water returns to a full boil, process for 10 minutes.
Plum Jam Calculator
Enter the weight of stoned plums (kg) and choose a variety. This follows your firm-set base: sugar = 0.75 × fruit, pectin ≈ 15 g/kg, lemon ≈ 35 ml/kg, with variety-specific tweaks.
