Preserving summer fruit is one of the simplest ways to hold on to the season a little longer. This homemade Cherry Plum Jam is a bright, sweet-tart spread made with juicy black plums, cherries, sugar, and pectin. It is wonderful on morning toast, spooned over Greek yogurt, or served as a soft fruit sauce with vanilla ice cream. The plums bring sweetness and body, while the cherries add a pleasant tart flavor and a deep red color.
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If you have any questions about this Cherry Plum Jam recipe or the raspberry lime syrup below, feel free to ask. Recipes like this are flexible, and every batch of fruit can behave a little differently depending on ripeness, sweetness, and juiciness. I try to make the process clear for cooks of all experience levels, whether you are new to homemade jam or simply looking for another way to use fresh summer fruit.
Cherry Plum Jam
I did not measure every ingredient perfectly when I made this jam, and that is part of what makes small-batch jam so approachable. For a casual refrigerator jam, the amounts do not have to be exact. The version below is a close estimate of what I used, and the recipe card gives a simple guide you can follow.
I started with 5 black plums and a generous amount of cherries. To give the jam more texture and color, I chopped 3 of the plums into small cubes. The remaining peeled plums were blended with the cherries to create a smooth fruit base.
The cherries were pitted by hand, which worked, but it was messy. If you plan to make jam, syrup, pie filling, or any recipe that uses a large amount of cherries, a cherry pitter would make the job much easier. Cherry juice stains quickly, and my hands stayed stained for days after preparing the fruit.
Once the cherries were pitted and the plums were prepared, I pureed the cherries and peeled plums in a blender. Then I cooked the fruit mixture with 3 cups of sugar and 1 packet of pectin until it reached 220° on a candy thermometer. That temperature helps the jam thicken and gives it a glossy, spreadable consistency.
The finished Cherry Plum Jam was easy to make and full of fresh fruit flavor. This batch turned out a little soft, but that made it especially useful as a sauce. It is delicious over Greek yogurt, vanilla ice cream, pound cake, or anything that could use a spoonful of sweet summer fruit.
Along with the jam, I used the last of the raspberries to make raspberry lime syrup. Flavored simple syrups are one of the easiest ways to preserve a small amount of fruit, herbs, citrus, or spices. They are versatile, quick to prepare, and can be used in both drinks and desserts.
Raspberry lime syrup is lovely mixed with club soda for a homemade fruit soda. It can also be poured over ice cream or pound cake, stirred into cocktails, or added to a glass of vodka on the rocks for a simple flavored drink. You can use whatever you already have in the refrigerator, including fruit, herbs, vegetables, spices, or citrus zest. The syrup can be sweet, savory, floral, spicy, or bright and citrusy depending on what you add.
Raspberry Lime Syrup Recipe
For raspberry lime syrup, start with equal parts sugar and water. I usually use 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Add the sturdier flavorings first, such as citrus rind, rosemary, black pepper, or cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture to a boil, let the sugar dissolve completely, and boil it for 1 minute.
Remove the syrup from the heat, then add softer fruits such as raspberries, peaches, or cherries. I usually add about ½ cup of fruit, but a little more or less will still work. Let the fruit steep in the hot syrup for about 20 minutes, then strain out the solids. Store the finished syrup in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a few weeks if it is not used up sooner.
- Use equal parts sugar and water as the base.
- Add hardy flavorings before boiling, such as citrus zest, rosemary, black pepper, or cinnamon sticks.
- Add delicate fruit after removing the syrup from the heat.
- Steep for 20 minutes, then strain.
- Refrigerate and use in drinks, desserts, or simple fruit sauces.
- As a bonus, the raspberries left after steeping were delicious enough to enjoy as a small snack.
Here’s a list of the syrups I’ve experimented with…
- Thyme black pepper syrup
- Rosemary lemon syrup
- Cherry lime simple syrup
- Raspberry lime syrup
- Lavender simple syrup
- Cherry lime syrup
- Plum syrup
- Rosemary peach syrup
- Lemon verbena simple syrup
Some ideas that I might try in the future…
- Almond and cocoa nib syrup
- Basil simple syrup
- Cinnamon stick simple syrup
The biggest lesson from these kitchen experiments is to have fun and stay open to trying new combinations. Preserving fruit, making jam, and preparing simple syrups are old-fashioned kitchen skills, but they do not have to feel complicated. Small batches are especially forgiving and are a great way to use ripe fruit before it goes to waste.
This kind of homemade preserving does not take long, and for small refrigerator batches, it does not require special equipment beyond basic kitchen tools. A candy thermometer is useful for jam, and a strainer is helpful for syrups, but the process is still simple and approachable.
I do not always seal jars for long-term storage, especially when I make a small amount of jam that will be eaten quickly. If you want to preserve jam for shelf storage, follow safe canning instructions from a trusted home food preservation source. For everyday use, this Cherry Plum Jam can be enjoyed right away and kept refrigerated.
My next experiment will be zucchini pepper marmalade, something I imagine serving over cream cheese with wheat crackers. Until then, this Cherry Plum Jam and raspberry lime syrup are delicious ways to enjoy the flavor of summer fruit.
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If you try this recipe, please come back and share how it turned out. Your notes can help other readers understand the texture, flavor, and small adjustments that worked for you.
Recipe
Cherry Plum Jam
Debi
Ingredients
- 5 black plums peeled
- a generous amount of cherries pitted
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 packet pectin
Instructions
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Chop 3 of the plums into small cubes to add texture and color to the jam.
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Puree the cherries and the peeled plums in a blender.
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Cook the fruit with 3 cups of sugar and 1 packet of pectin until the mixture reaches 220° on a candy thermometer.
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Spoon the jam into a clean jar, cool, and refrigerate if not processing for long-term storage.
Notes
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 638g
Protein: 2g
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 632g
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate. Actual values will vary depending on ingredients, measuring methods, and portion sizes.