Small Italian plums would have been perfect for those delicious Plum Dumplings my cousin and I made in June, sadly they were not around then. When I spied them at my green grocer a week or so ago, I knew I couldn’t resist so I picked up a small container knowing full well they would be converted to something delicious. While Plum Dumplings are a great childhood memory, they are not the type of thing we eat on a regular basis so I decided on Plum Butter, another thick jam made without the use of pectin. Making jam or Lekvár is so easy, I’m astonished that I hadn’t done it more often in the past; perhaps it was the fear of making more than we could consume! Well, fear not my dear readers because this recipe makes a few small jars so we’ll be in great shape over the cold winter months.
Plum Butter
Makes 370 mL thick jam
Ingredients:
- 630 g plums (a small container)
- 255 g sugar
- 60 mL water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Cut plums in half and remove stone. Put plums into a heavy bottom pan and add water and sugar. Set over medium heat and cook until softened.
- Add cinnamon and cook for 30-40 minutes until thickened, testing often with the freezer method.
- Once the butter has thickened, pour into sterilized mason jars and follow canning best practice instructions.
Notes:
- I left the peel in for texture, you may run the mixture through a fine sieve if you prefer no peel.
- The plums cook down to a very creamy texture so there is no need to purée or press through a food mill, unless you wish to.
I made it too & loved it spread out on some good home-made bread with some butter too! x
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How lovely, thank you kindly Sophie.
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Your plum butter looks so thick and rich, Eva. I bet it’s delicious. Much would depend, I imagine, on the plums. I bought some last week at the farmers market and they were such a disappointment. I would have to use way too much sugar to make a palatable jam. I prefer to use the slow cook method without pectin for my preserves because, as you mentioned, it only produces a few small jars. Unless I’m giving the preserves/jelly as gifts — grape and strawberry are very popular — I don’t need 7 jam jars sitting on a shelf. I’ve finished my canning/preserving for this year. My canning pot is back in the top shelf where it will remain! I’m pinning this recipe, though, for next year. Thanks, Eva.
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I just thought of a possible solution to disappointing fruit, oven roasting! After its caramelized, cook it as you normally would! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for your comment John.
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Plum butter (or lekvàr) is the only sweet preserve I make every year, so I share your love for this fruit. Mine is however much thicker (cooked many hours on very low heat without sugar) if the plums are ripe. I love the tanginess of plums that many fruits lack…
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Thank you Sissi. Will the Lekvár preserve properly without sugar? I had read that you need sugar for canning purposes.
I just finished testing a few recipes you would love, one was an cranberry cake that was more tart than sweet and the other was cranberry muffins. Surprisingly neither were sweet as usual North American recipes! I kept both but gifted all 6 of the other recipe tests!
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Hi Eva, it’s preserved with the fruit’s sugar and since it reduces a lot, it keeps perfectly. I have just opened a 5 year old one… It’s a traditional fruit preserve in Poland, so I even didn’t worry it wouldn’t keep. Actually it keeps much better than normal jams, butters, etc. because of the liquid reduction. It’s not as thick as the traditional lekvar I brought from Hungary (doesn’t fall from the jar!), but it’s much thicker than anything I saw.
Thank you so much for the cake ideas! You know me so well 🙂 I love tart food!
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Lovely! I think the plum butter looks wonderful. I think I would leave the skins in the butter just for the texture xx
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Thanks Charlie, the skins didn’t bother me at all!
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I’m back from vacation and haven’t done more than just dash to the supermarket a couple of times for essentials, so I haven’t checked to see if Italian plums are available yet. But I need to! Never had plum butter, but love the idea. Thanks!
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Hi John, welcome back! Hope you do get around to trying it, home made jam is so worth it.
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Hi Eva, I love Italian plums and any type of butter or jam that is made with them. Looks delicious!
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Thank you Cheri, welcome to my blog.
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I love making jam but this one looks even better especially as you don’t have to worry about adding pectin!
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Thank you kindly Lorraine.
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hmmmm, looks great. vw
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Thanks
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I hate to be a dumb-dumb. But what exactly differentiates “butter” from “jam”? Both are delicious. Your plum particularly. But I need the answer… GREG
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Thanks Greg, I believe a butter is simply a cooked down fruit without the use of pectin.
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Never made plum butter but yours sounds so easy and love the color, should try to make some soon.
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Thank you Norma, it’s a densely flavoured fruit spread that is delicious.
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I love the colour of your plum jam. Not murky at all from being cooked to death as my mom used to do with hers. I could never understand why she made the jam. No one ever seemed to eat it and there were always 6-12 jars at a time in the cool ‘cellar’ in the basement. 🙂
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That’s funny, maybe she really enjoyed it. My Mom made a few things that no one else liked but not much and not often!
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She never had it herself. Not a fan of toast and jam. Just the plum dumplings but those were make with whole or half plums. I think she just thought it was something she SHOULD make … maybe my grandparents liked it. 🙂
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You’ve taken me right back to my mother’s kitchen, Eva. A lovely recipe xx
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Thank you kindly Lizzy, that’s very flattering.
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Sounds delicious Eva! I need to get over my fear of making jams/butters too. I think the canning process always intimidates me. One of these days I’m going to do it! Your bread with butter and the plum butter looks so good. I haven’t had a good piece of fruity toast in a long time, but now I’m thinking I need to have some this week.
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Hi Kristy, I used to be the same, so I would only make freezer jams that would last a few weeks in the fridge but reading up on the canning process it made it less intimidating. Plus I only really do a couple of jars so I don’t waste a lot if it doesn’t turn out. The few jars are just enough for JT and I to consume so we won’t have them around for years.
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I love fruit butters. Making a small amount is the way to go. Hey I know that bread!
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Ha, I got double duty out of that loaf and I took full advantage of the gorgeous light at the cottage!
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I’ve never made nor eaten plum butter but I won’t be able to say that for long. I love this idea.
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Hi Maureen, thanks for your kind words, I do hope you try it.
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What’s the difference between fruit butter and jam? The butter looks great, Eva.
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Hi Angie, fruit butters are made without pectin and are reduced for their thick consistency (some even include the peel). Thank you for your kind words.
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I didn’t know that either! thanks!
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