Low Sugar Plum & Rosemary Jam
I’m not sure there is a better summer family outing than a “pick-your-own” farm. We discovered one a little drive from us and were left enthralled. We got our daily dose of Vitamin D, great exercise, family bonding and the discovery of truly fresh, straight-off-the-tree produce that tastes a-million-and-one times better than any fresh fruit & veg you have ever tasted elsewhere.
We spent £9.50 for all 4 of us to have an amazing, enjoyable morning and come home laden with multicoloured carrots, beetroots, French beans, raspberries and plums. Lots and lots of plums. We would have paid 3 times the price in a supermarket and would have all come out stressed and bored. Not this way. This way, everyone won.
And all those plums. Those delicious, supersweet, fresh off the tree plums. Plums better than any I’ve tasted since childhood days when we had a plum tree in our garden and ate plum tart, plum jams, and straight fresh plums until I thought my tongue might turn purple.
I knew exactly what was happening with all of those plums when we got home. The ripest were halved, stoned and laid on a baking tray in the freezer to flash freeze before placing in freezer-safe containers for a later day (I was not about to let any of these beauties go to waste). We kept some of the least ripe out in the sun to ripen for snacks and desserts in the week (because why mess with something so naturally delicious?). And the big batch that were just ripe were stoned, chopped and mixed up with raw honey and rosemary in this incredible jam.
We still eat sugar in our house. Most of you know this already. We try to consume as little as possible and stick to the World Health Organisation’s daily recommended limits of max 6 teaspoons free sugars (refined sugar, fruit juice, honey, syrups and fruit concentrates) as much as possible. Since we make so much from scratch, the little free sugar we do consume is generally what we have chosen to add in ourselves – a little rice syrup or maple syrup over pancakes on a Saturday morning, a few raisins in our homemade sugar free muesli from time to time, a low sugar kombucha drink or the juice of a couple of freshly squeezed oranges when we have an excess in our fruit bowl. Occasionally, although much more rarely, it comes in a pre-made sauce or convenience food (like jam or marmalade), although we limit these and always make sure we choose the lowest sugar and/or “most recognisable ingredients list” option.
You guys probably know by now we tend to favour organic rice syrup like this one as our liquid sweetener of choice, since (while still a free sugar and not for OD’ing on) it is fructose-free and so dealt with much better by the body than other liquid sweeteners. Still, I often have a jar of raw organic honey on hand, too. It’s pricey stuff, which helps me to keep the amount we use to a minimum, but it carries a few minor (very minor, and all stuff you can get from other foods) health boosting nutrients. In excess, the sugar causes more problems than the nutrients solve, but it’s nice to have on hand for a sore throat honey & lemon drink, or for occasional use as a liquid sweetener. I especially like that the raw organic stuff is often so sweet and strongly flavoured that you only need a tiny bit to sweeten things. Like in this jam.
The honey brings not only sweetness, but an extra flavour boost to this spread. Although rice syrup also works to sweeten this, as does liquid stevia, if you prefer to go for that option.
I hope you enjoy this deeply-flavoured, sweet-sour simple plum & rosemary jam as much as I do. A spoonful spread over toast or stirred into porridge or yogurt adds some natural sweetness and yumminess to make a meal extra special.
A super simple, delicious plum jam recipe. Infused with rosemary and made with just a handful of simple ingredients in just 10 minutes, this jam recipe is as easy as it is low in added sugar. Gluten free and paleo with a vegan and low carb option.
- 500 g (3 cups) plums, stoned and roughly chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons raw organic honey* or rice syrup (or use a couple of drops of liquid stevia), or to taste
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- good squeeze of lemon (about 1-2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot (or use 1 teaspoon coconut flour)
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Place the plums, honey, rosemary and lemon into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for a few minutes until the plums have broken down and everything is soft and mushy. Taste and add more honey, rice syrup or stevia if you feel it needs it - we love it with a sweet-sour freshness, but it may be best to start with more sweetener for hardened jam-eaters and slowly lessen the amount used each time you make it. Whisk in the cornflour or arrowroot and simmer for another few minutes until thickened. Pour into a large sterilised jar and seal with the lid. Allow to cool completely then keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
* Do remember that if you have a child under 1, they shouldn't be eating honey, so rice syrup is preferable here (although if they are under 1, leaving the sweetener out completely is what I'd recommend most, since it helps get their tastebuds used to natural sweetness rather than added sweetness! 🙂
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