A question about a recipe: Spiced Plum and Port Jam

I never add pectin or sugar. I just cook the fruit down with some lemon juice. Personally, I don't buy jam bec. it's too sweet. Cooking just the fruit is, for me, perfect sweetness and perfect consistency.

Another idea is to use apple juice (or even apple jelly, in a pinch) as a substitute for pectin. An interesting book on this topic is Christine Ferber's Mes Confitures. It's not for jam novices (no info on jars, water baths, etc.) but it is full of ideas and techniques. In particular, Ferber utilizes what Usuba dashi describes in the preceding post---macerating the fruit overnight. Now I am off to do just that (with apricots).

My mum has been making jam since I can remember and has never used pectin. She always gets a good set and a tender texture. The secret is to macerate the fruit over night with the sugar. The sugar starts to break down the fruit and extract the natural pectin. Mum's jam always is prefect with this method.

I live in a very, very rural area--as in, the closest supermarket is 45 minutes away, and only if you don't get stuck behind someone on a tractor or towing a tractor ;). But even I can find it pretty easily. Just ask someone at your local grocery store or Wal-Mart, or even Farmer's Coop--usually they have a canning section.

Hi! Just saw this - Sam is right on - look at your regular grocery or Wal-Mart by the Ball products - they make two kinds of powdered pectin and one is marked No Sugar Needed. If you can't find that you can go with Pomona - I have found that pomona pectin make a MUCH firmer jam than the Ball (em-i-lis that may have been a contributing factor as well!) so I use 1/2 to 2/3 the amount that they call for on their instruction insert. I also know you can order it from - of course - Amazon, but if you have the plums right now you might not have time to wait for shipping.

If you truly live where you cannot get no-sugar pectin, the usual recipe is equal volume of sugar to fruit, but practically speaking, you can get away with 3/4 or even 2/3 the volume of sugar and just cook it to the set point (12 degrees above boiling or until a small amount on an iced dish wrinkles when you push it with your finger).

and also keep in mind that some varieties have plums have significant amounts of natural pectin. with italian prune plums and the plums i used today in my Shiro Plum-Basil jam, i never use pectin. otherwise you end up with an extremely firm, almost waxy consistency that's just not my preference. last time I made this spiced plum and port jam (a wonderful recipe, btw), the pectin was way too much in concert w/ my plums, and i had to add in some boiling water and thin it back down. amazon and williams-sonoma carry pomona's pectin if you wish to order.

I think you should be able to find it so don't give up before you start.
Most supermarkets and wal-mart have it.
Look where they keep the Jello..or most likely the canning supplies.
You might have to ask someone to find where they keep it in the store.