My parents brought over wild plums from their farm, so I pulled out my Food in Jars cookbook and found the perfect recipe for them. I used sweet cherries canned in pear juice rather than fresh cherries, but I really like how this jam turned out. It's sweet, yet tart, and full of flavor.
Sweet Cherry-Plum Jam
3 cups pitted and chopped plums
4 cups pitted and chopped sweet cherries
3 1/2 cups sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 (3 oz.) packets liquid pectin
Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular pint jars for canning, along with the lids.
Combine the plums, cherries and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a biol over high heat, and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until the jam looks molten and syrupy. (I used an immersion blender along the way to have a smoother jam.) Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and pectin. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, and ladle into prepared jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Makes 4 pints.
