Growing up in a family where we grew our own fruit and veggies, I don’t remember buying not even one jar of jam or confiture. We would have all the time plenty of different types of jams and confitures in our pantry. Sometimes even some left from the previous year. Raspberry or plum jam and sour cherry confiture were the ones we would always have for winter. Either made by my mom or by my grandma. And sometimes there was also quince jam, but for some reason, I’ve never been a big fan of quince.
Sweet childhood memories
I remember the days when, after school, I would go pick the raspberries from our bush in the garden, and save them in the fridge, until we got enough to make a batch of jam. Of course I would eat a couple on the way. But luckily there were still enough to make some preserve for the winter. Plus that was one of my favourites. So I wanted to make sure I actually have some til next summer.
I also loved the sour cherry confiture. I was crazy about that thick syrup the cherries would swim in. Sometimes I would only choose the syrup for my toasted slice of bread next to my cocoa milk, or to spread on crepes. Or to top a semolina porridge with it. This one was the ‘most wanted’ of the fruit preserves in our home. I still love it, especially in combination with porridge, or integrated in some cakes. But I find it a bit too sweet to have on toast.
As a child I wasn’t too crazy after the plum jam. It wasn’t too sweet. But my mom would make sure to use it in some delicious bakes she knew from her grandmother. I’ll come back on that on my blog, after I’ll be testing some recipes myself and hopefully share a couple.
The traditional Romanian plum jam
The plum jam is kind of like a staple Romanian jam. Especially the no-sugar one from the region where I come from (it is a good region for growing plums). We even have a specific name for this plum jam – ‘magiun’. And the ‘original one’ so to say, that is produced in Topoloveni, a village 40km away from my hometown, became the first Romanian certified natural product. Moreover, since 2011, ‘Magiun from Topoloveni’ has also been recognized by EU as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) product.
The original recipe says it is using 4 types of well ripened plums and only plums to obtain a thick spread, like a jam. There’s nothing else being added in this type of jam. No water, no sweeteners, no preservatives. Just good sweet ripe plums. I have, however, only used one type of plums in my jam. But at least I was lucky to get my hands on some sweet plums that looked like the ones I knew from back home in Romania. Because the plums you use are the most important. The ones like these in the picture are the plums you’re looking for. And if they have some sort of crystallized sugar syrup drops here and there – that’s your proof that they’re right for this. It means they have enough natural sugar to give you a balanced sweet and sour jam, without any other sugar addition.
My mom’s recipe
So here it is: my mom’s recipe for the slow cooked no-sugar plum jam. Well… recipe is too much said since it’s basically only plums you need, but more like a description of the process. OK… I’ll admit… I couldn’t help it and added a tiny extra super delicate flavouring to it. I’m sorry, mom!
And even if you didn’t get the chance to get some good plums this season, just keep it in mind for next year. I promise it’s worth it. Not to mention how children friendly it is. Or even just a healthier option of jam for yourself.
Ingredients (makes 5-6 220ml jars or 3 400ml jars)
- 2kg ripe plums
Optional:
- one hand full fresh lemon thyme sprigs
- skin from one lime (make sure it’s ecological/untreated)
Tools
- one large cast iron pot or oven safe pot
- jars with lids
Instructions
1. Rinse the plums well, pit and chop each plum in 4-6 pieces. I do this all by hand, not using a knife. Should be easy to open the plums by squeezing them. And it will be very easy to remove the stone if the plums are well ripened. Add the chunks to the cooking pot.
2. Preheat oven to 125C. Meanwhile bring the plums to a boil on the stove, on low-medium heat. There will already be a little juice formed on the bottom of the pot, and the plums will start changing their colour.
3. Add the extras, if using any, then place the pot in the oven. Let it slow cook for 8-10 hours, stirring every other hour just to make sure the plums won’t stick to the bottom. They will, at some point, have a lot of liquid. You are looking for a thick jam that sticks to the spoon. If it doesn’t feel ready just yet, you can finalize it on low heat on the stove. That way you will simmer it easily and reduce to the desired consistency while keeping a close eye on it. Its colour won’t be very attractive (as you can see from the photos below), more like dark brown, but it will change a bit when cooling down.
4. While you’re in the last hour of cooking the jam, make sure to prepare the jars. You can sterilize them by placing them in the oven preheated to 100-110C, for 15-20 minutes. Pour the jam hot in the jars, seal and cover in tea towels to allow them to cool down slowly. This way you make sure they will hold well in the pantry, without using any preservatives. That is how my mom does it all the time.
So this is it! My recipe for traditional Romanian, 100% natural plum jam. Or better said, my mom’s recipe which I have just got and it is for sure one of those I will use over and over again. I love having this jam spread on some nice thin crepes (find my basic recipe here) and of course on a slice home baked sourdough bread (find the beginner recipe here). Or just using it as a filling for my favourite thumbprint cookies. Don’t forget to let me know if you’re giving it a try, and how do you prefer enjoying it! Happy cooking!
Slow cooked all natural no-sugar plum jam
Plum jam must be the most common type of jam in the region I come from. And the traditional way to do it is by slow cooking the plums for a long time. No other ingredients really needed. Just patience and love. Check out the easy process here, in my mom's recipe.
Ingredients
- 2kg ripe plums (like the ones in the photo)
- Optional extras:
- one hand full lemon thyme sprigs
- skin from one lime
Directions
- Step 1 Rinse the plums well, pit and chop each plum in 4-6 pieces. Add the chunks to the cooking pot.
- Step 2 Preheat oven to 125C. Meanwhile bring the plums to a boil on the stove, on low-medium heat. The plums will start changing their colour.
- Step 3 Add the extras, if using any, then place the pot in the oven. Let it slow cook for 8-10 hours, stirring every other hour just to make sure the plums won’t stick to the bottom. You are looking for a thick jam that sticks to the spoon. If it doesn’t feel ready just yet after 8-9h, you can finalize it on low heat on the stove.
- Step 4 Pour the hot jam in the sterilized jars. Seal the jars and cover in tea towels, to allow cooling down slowly. Save the jars in your pantry and enjoy on toast or with crepes.
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