Another Fruit Project

I guess some weeks I get over excited at the farmer's market and buy more fruit than we can possibly eat. I already whipped up an apple pear cake but what to do with the leftover stone fruit.

James is one of those people who, although he has a healthy sweet tooth, can walk by a cake on the counter without hearing it's siren call. He can, eat a bite or one slice a day and not tiptoe back for more. James is naturally skinny.

So, we certainly didn't need another cake around the house. The freezer already held breakfast breads and muffins, so what to do with this bowl of plums?

I decided on a quick batch of plum (actually a mix of plums, pluots, and even a nectarine) jam. Even if I was too lazy to get down the canning pot -- which I was, the jam would keep for a few months in the fridge, and we could always bring a jar to a friend as a hostess gift. Win win, jam it is.

I cut the fruit into wedges and covered them, in a heavy saucepan, with 3/4 cup of sugar (I used a mix of brown and white since I ran out of white and our cupboards for some reason are groaning with brown sugar) for each pound of fruit and let it sit for about an hour. I squeezed in half a lemon and dropped the rind into the pan which I brought to a boil and let simmer for about 35 minutes. Until a drop of the jam on a cold plate (I put a plate in the freezer for 10 minutes) held it's shape.

Presto. Leftover fruit becomes brand new jam.