Plum Jam

It is the first day of Autumn and despite clear blue skies there is a slight chill in the air. I have heard horror stories about winter in Berlin, well-below freezing temperatures, long hours of darkness and the general dispiriting grey drabness of the city. Needless to say, I am fairly worried about my ability to handle winter and its lead up. So I am desperate now to capture the last of summer, bottle it and preserve it. I was able to do so literally this week, by making some plum jam. I didn't know that Germany produced plums, let alone really tasty ones. But it must be their season because they are everywhere and cheap. Plum jam has a beautiful colour and tastes of sunshine, which will no doubt be comforting during the deep, dark winter creeping ever closer.

Plum Jam:

1kg plums

500 g water

600-700grams raw sugar

a little lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 100-150*C, sterilise 4-5 jars, place them on a tray and into the oven. Place the sugar in an oven proof bowl and also into the oven to warm up. Wash and stone the fruit and cut into bite sized pieces, place in a large pot (wide and shallow, if possible) with the water and lemon juice. Tie up the plum stones in a muslin bag and add to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the fruit is soft. Turn off the heat and stir in the warm sugar until it has dissolved. Return to a high heat and bring to the boil, boil until setting point has been reached. One way to test this is to have a saucer in the freezer, tip a little syrup onto the cold surface, after 15 or so seconds push it gently with a spoon, if it runs freely it needs longer, if it is a little more resistant it may be ready, depending how firmly set you like your jam.