A step-by-step recipe for plum jam with cinnamon and lemon for the winter

Summer and the beginning of autumn is the time to prepare not only pickles, but also sweet preparations, among which one of the most popular is plum jam with lemon and natural cinnamon. For a delicacy, you need a minimum of ingredients and a little free time, and the result is a delicious and aromatic dessert. In order for the jam to be not only appetizing, but also to retain its qualities for as long as possible, you need to know what to look for when preparing ingredients and containers.

The specifics of making plum jam with cinnamon for the winter

The main difficulty that may arise for the hostess is how much sugar to use depending on the type of plum. The classic ratio is 1: 1, but the amount of sugar will have to be adjusted based on the sweetness of the fruit.

Lemon is added to the recipe for the sake of a sophisticated aroma and pleasant aftertaste, so you should choose ripe and small fruits, otherwise the jam will turn out to be too sour.

Ingredients for the recipe

To make delicious and aromatic jam you will need:

• 2 kg plums;
• 1.8 kg of sugar;
• 1 cinnamon stick;
• 1 small thin-skinned lemon.

It is preferable to use cinnamon sticks in the recipe, but if it is not there, then you can take the ground version of the aromatic spice. The above amount of ingredients will need 1 tsp.

Product selection

Any variety of plums is suitable for making jam, but several varieties should not be mixed with each other, as this will negatively affect the taste of the final product. All fruits should be equally ripe, with no signs of rot or parasite damage.

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It is best to choose a thin-skinned lemon, the fruit must be ripe. It is easy to check: the ripened fruit has a bumpy and shiny surface, there are no marks or dents on it after pressing.

Cinnamon is preferred in the form of sticks, it is a natural product. Under the guise of ground spice, unscrupulous producers may sell substitutes.

How to prepare containers

Normal glass jars with a volume of 0.5 liters, which are sealed with metal lids, are best suited. Such containers are easy to sterilize, thanks to which the jam from the plums will retain all its useful properties longer, will not ferment and will not be covered with mold.

There are several ways to sterilize containers:

1. Pour boiling water over thoroughly washed jars, cover and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Put a clean, damp container in the oven and set the temperature to 100 degrees Celsius, wait no more than 5 minutes until the jars are completely dry;
3. Place a clean container in a dishwasher and rinse it without using household chemicals at a temperature not lower than 70 degrees, the cycle must be complete.
4. The classic option is to install a holder on a pot of water, put the jar on it with the neck down, let the liquid boil and steam the container for at least 5 minutes.

The lids are poured with boiling water for 3 minutes, after which they are laid out on a clean, dry towel.

How to make cinnamon plum jam at home

The recipe is quite simple, even a novice hostess can easily cope with it:

1. Wash the plums thoroughly, cut in half or into quarters and remove the seeds. Cut the lemon into small thin slices.
2. Put chopped plums and lemon in a thick stainless steel saucepan, add sugar and mix thoroughly.
3. The resulting mixture is left for at least 5 hours and waited for the fruit to juice. After that, put the pan on low heat and cook, constantly stirring the jam with a wooden spoon or spatula. This should be done until the mixture thickens.
4. When the jam has reached the desired consistency, cinnamon is added to it and boiled for no longer than 20 minutes.

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Hot jam from plums is laid out in previously prepared sterilized containers and sealed. The treat is allowed to cool and stored in a cool dry place.

You can only pack plum jam in a dry container, otherwise the product will ferment or become moldy.

Storage rules

The optimal place for storing plum jam is a pantry or a deep kitchen cabinet, where sunlight does not enter, and the temperature does not rise above 15 degrees Celsius.

You should not store jars of plum jam near heating devices or in rooms that freeze during the cold season, as this will damage the container. Avoid places with high humidity, because of it rust forms on the covers and they cease to be completely sealed.

Even if all storage rules are followed, you should regularly inspect canned food and, first of all, use a delicacy with the following signs:

• the dessert has started to be sugar-coated;
• air bubbles are visible in the container;
• the slices sank to the bottom or float up.

If mold is found in canned food, then such jam should not be eaten, as it contains a large amount of toxins that often cause health problems.