# Apple plum jam



## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

This is the first time I have tried to make apple ,plum jam. The apples are honeycrisp and the plums were red. The puree did not thicken. Even if it is served as sauce it has a nice flavor But I have a gallon of the mix in the fridge that I still have to make up and would like to make jam this time.
Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Can you let us know the recipe/procedure you used. Then we can help troubleshoot and find out why you didn't get jam.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

Could we do it this way? The "sauce" I made yesterday is delicious.

Today or when ever someone gives me a recipe for making jam from a mix that is approximately 50/50 apple plum- no I did not measure just poured it together- I will go by that recipe.

I probably thoroughly botched this for jam because I do not like it extra sweet or as sweet as jam recipes are so cut back on the sugar. 
You may kick me off but I added a box of cranberry jello and the juice of one lemon to the mix which gave it that nice holiday flavor!

But I want jam! Should I go by a plum recipe or an apple or will it matter. Should I use pectin- I thought apples had pectin and maybe plums too. 
Do I have to use the amount of sugar called for? These apples were not called Honeycrisp without reason!


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

To get jam, you need a certain ratio of sugar, pectin and acid. Apples do have lots of pectin - but the pectin tends to be concentrated in the peels and cores, and the pectin levels diminish as the fruit ripens. Typically when you make no added pectin preserves you use equal amounts of fruit and sugar, and then boil until your jam gels - 221 F, or 9 degrees above boiling.

Adding pectin would help, but jams with added pectin still use lots of sugar - in fact, many of the added pectin jams call for more sugar than fruit.

If you want a reduced sugar jam, you could buy the no/low sugar pectin made by either Ball or SureJel. Other manufactures may also make it. Or you could try using Pomonas Pectin. Both are forumated to gel with lower amounts of sugar.


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## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

Thank you. I did not realize that older apples had less pectin. 
I did not peel nor core my apples , nor the plums- but did remove the pits.
I may have to get more pectin - have not seen Pomonas for years would love to get some.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I make "sauce" which I thicken with clear jel. Don't need to worry about sugar that way. I use recipes for pie filling, and most end up firm enough they won't pour out of the jar when turned. 

Didn't really set out to do that - made some cherry and blueberry pie filing and it ended up on the thick side, and DH started using it just like jam, said he liked it better because it wasn't so sweet.


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