Homemade Plum Jam

If you have an overactive tree at home, or went a little nuts at the farmers market, this easy recipe for fresh plum jam will help you put your bounty to good use.

Cardamom-Plum Jam from 'Little Jars, Big Flavors'

In my Berkeley neighborhood this time of year, plums are falling from trees, staining the sidewalks, and making up a huge part of my fruit intake. This massive influx of plums means it is the perfect time to turn the quickly ripening fruit into jam. This cardamom-plum version in Southern Living's Little Jars, Big Flavors is an elegant extension of a basic recipe.

Rich Red Plum Jam

This is a beautiful jewel-red jam with a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Putting half of the fruit through a food mill and leaving the other half in quarters makes for a rustic textured jam. An overnight maceration gives you a head-start on the jamming process. It's a great jam to pair with fresh, creamy cow's milk cheeses like ricotta.

Sugar-Roasted Plums with Balsamic and Rosemary Syrup

With the late summer avalanche of corn, tomatoes, and bell peppers, it’s easy to overlook the humble plum. Subtly flavored and modestly sized, plums aren’t as flashy or culinarily ubiquitous as other September produce. It’s unusual to spot them in...

Fig, Raspberry and Lemon Jam

You can really taste each individual component of this jam, from the fig's subtle perfume, to the bold raspberries, to the tart lemon. The robust flavors would pair perfectly with hearty, flavorful breads like cornbread or crusty sour dough.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

This rosy jam captures all the joy of springtime into what may be the most perfect preserve of the year. This is a low-sugar jam with a loose texture. It's especially nice swirled into plain yogurt or spread over fresh goat cheese on toast.

Blueberry Lavender Jam

Lavender transforms ordinary blueberry jam into preserves that are positively romantic. Delicate and floral, it would be perfect with scones, croissants, or crostini with fresh ricotta.

Bourbon Peach Jam

Few things in life are better than biting into a fuzzy, sun-warmed peach, the nectar dribbling down your chin. This simple jam is full of ripe, fresh peach flavor with hints of bourbon, cinnamon, and vanilla. I like to serve it with warm buttermilk biscuits, or use it as a filling for a quick summer tart.

Dried-Apricot and Pineapple Jam

A sunny, summery jam that can be made in the dead of winter with fresh pineapple and dried apricots.

Rustic Apricot Jam

This recipe yields a very chunky, rustic jam that relies entirely on the fruit's natural pectin, in concert with sugar, lemon juice, and heat, to set perfectly. This jam works well with Blenheim apricots, or any other small, freestone apricot (apricots that have pits that pop out easily, rather than clinging to the flesh).