Sugar Free Wild Plum Jam

5 min readSep 7, 2016

This sugar free wild plum jam is sweetened with a bit of honey and spiced with cloves and anise. Easy and delicious step-by-step recipe.

Picking ripe wild mirabelle plums straight from the tree was so much fun! I had plenty of plans for them: sugar free wild plum jam, Georgian tkemali sauce, blueberry plum galette (coming soon!) and of course eating them raw for breakfast on top of my oatmeal. Today I’m sharing a wild plum jam recipe with you, which is sugar free and spiced with cloves and anise. It smells and tastes so good, that it’s currently my favorite jam.

Spices give it a unique Christmassy aroma, which is making me to look forward to Christmas now, in the middle of August. I’m not sure I made enough jam to survive until then, because we already emptied 4 of the 6 jars I made! If you are planning to store it longer, make sure to double or tripple the recipe. It’s really that good!

The best thing about this jam (besides its wonderful taste) is that it’s absolutely guilt-free! No sugar, just a bit of honey and agar-agar powder to thicken it up. The consistency is just right, so you can spread it on a toast (or homemade French brioche), top your oatmeal or yoghurt with it or even add it to salad dressings (like I did). This wild plum jam is healthy and delicious, so I can’t think of a reason not to go to this mirabelle plum tree again and make even more wild plum jam!

How to Make Sugar Free Wild Plum Jam

The procedure of making it is really simple. You can use any plums for this recipe, not necessarily wild. Pit your plums, blend them (or don’t, depending on what consistency you like more), add honey and spices, bring to a boil and add agar-agar powder, dissolved in a bit of hot water. Then simmer for about 20 minutes until it’s nicely thickened.

Sterilize your jars before transferring the jam into them. I usually boil them for at least 15 minutes together with lids. This jam wasn’t made for storing longer than a month in the fridge, so it was enough. If you wish to store it longer, I would recommend to use water bath canning. It’s ideal for high-acid fruits like wild plums (or any other plums). Once you transfer the jam into the jars, close them tightly with lids and boil in water in a large pot or saucepan over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes.

If you are experienced in canning, you probably own a water bath canner, that simplifies the process. However, it’s not necessary to have one for canning. Turn off the stove and let them sit for 5 minutes. Then remove them carefully, place on a kitchen towel and leave undisturbed for 24 hours. Check the recipe below for additional details:

Sugar Free Wild Plum Jam

Ingredients

1 kg or 22 lbs wild plums
5 tablespoons honey (or more to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon cloves ground
1/4 teaspoon anise ground
2 teaspoons agar-agar powder
100 ml boiling water

Instructions

MAKING JAM: Pit your wild plums, blend them (or don’t, depending on what consistency you like more), add honey, ground cloves and anise and bring to a boil over medium heat. Whisk agar-agar powder with boiling water until smooth. Add it to plums and simmer for about 20 minutes until it’s nicely thickened.
CANNING: Sterilize your jars before transferring the jam into them. I usually boil them for at least 15 minutes together with lids. This jam wasn’t made for storing longer than a month in the fridge, so it was enough. If you wish to store it longer, I would recommend to use water bath canning. Once you transfer the jam into the jars, close them tightly with lids and boil in water in a large pot or saucepan over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes. A water bath canner would simplify the process. Turn off the stove and let them sit for 5 minutes. Then remove them carefully, place on a kitchen towel and leave undisturbed for 24 hours. Enjoy!

Here are some more canning, pickling an preserving recipes for you: