What’d You Do Last Weekend?

Want to try a gluten-free dessert that tastes anything but? How about hanging your lip on a Nanaimo bar? The recipe's from our neighbors up north, but the gluten-free graham crackers are a creation of Celiac Teen's Lauren. Unbelievable.

Damson Plum Jam

Posted by jenny on 09/03/2009

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After making damson wine, the next most common recipe I'd found was for damson jam. We usually get plenty of Italian plums from our own tree, but this year it didn't produce much at all so these damsons were a great substitute. I made a small batch with ginger and a second small batch with cinnamon and cardamom.

Damson Plum Jam
4 c damson plums, pitted
1/2 c - 1 c honey or 3/4 c - 2 c sugar
2 tsp pectin powder*
2 tsp calcium water*
1/2" fresh ginger, peeled and grated
6 - 8 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 stick cinnamon

Cut and mash the plums and put them in a saucepan.
Add sweetener to taste, and add spices (either ginger or cardamom/cinnamon).
Cook until you achieve the desired consistency.
Add the pectin powder and calcium water and cook until the mixture gels.
Fill sterilized jars to 1/4" of the rim and process in a water bath for 12 minutes.

I used Pomona's Pectin, which has a 2 ingredient mixture to gel the fruit. The advantage of Pomona's is that you can use far less sugar or honey than you would typically use with Ball pectin, and you can vary it to taste.