I cooked this jam especially with cheese – brie, camembert or goat. I wanted it to be mildly sweet, with an aroma of herbs and spices, but without too much sugar. Plums themselves are sweet, so the sweetness is completely sufficient.

Ingredients

(makes about 3 smaller jars of 250 ml each)

• 1 kg of pitted plums (about 1.2 kg with skins)

• 150 g of sugar

• 10-15 grains of black pepper

• 1 sprig of fresh thyme (I tied it with string for easy removal)

• 3-4 tbsp. sh. good wine vinegar

I washed the plums, cut them in half and removed the pits.

I put it in a pot, added sugar and left it for the sugar to dissolve and the juice to appear.

I heated the pot on medium heat until it boiled, then I added thyme, pepper, added vinegar and cooked on low heat until it thickened. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

I took out a sprig of thyme, I don’t bother with pepper.

I poured the hot jam into hot, sterile jars and closed them tightly.

I pasteurized the jars – I put them in 85 °C water and heated them for another 15 minutes. Since there is very little sugar, the jam keeps because of the acetic acid and proper pasteurization. It is important that the jars are clean, the lids are tight, and the jam is poured hot. This way, it will keep for at least several months at room temperature, and about three weeks in the refrigerator after opening.

After a few weeks, the taste improves even more – the thyme and pepper blend with the sweetness of the plums, and the jam becomes perfect with the mild cheese.

I make plums like this every year, and this year our gardens are empty 🤷‍♀️, so I bought plums in a store. It’s good that @iki_lietuva is around and there is enough fresh harvest here 🍎🍐🫐