Low-Sugar Plum Jam

Wash, pit and slice the plums into halves or quarters. Put them in a large stainless-steel or enamelled pot and add the sugar. Toss to distribute the sugar through the fruit, cover the pot and leave it for an hour or up to overnight to allow the fruit to macerate and release its juices and the sugar to dissolve. Do not refrigerate.When you are ready to cook the jam, sterilise the jars you will be using to store the jam using your preferred method. I simply place the jars and their lids into a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, then boil them for 10 minutes. I then transfer the jars & their lids (using large tongs) to a baking tray lined with baking paper and place the tray in an oven preheated to 130 degrees C to dry them and just leave them in there to keep them hot while I finish making the jam. You need the jars to be hot at the time you fill them with the hot jam, or else they might crack. This recipe yields about 600-750ml of jam so prepare enough jars accordingly.Take the lid off the pot and place it on the stove on a low heat (DO NOT turn up the heat to high or you will scorch the bottom and burn the jam). Cook, stirring occasionally and gently, until a foam starts to form, about 10-15 minutes. Using a large spoon, skim as much foam as you can off the jam and discard. Don’t worry too much about getting all of it, just as much as you can manage.Add the lemon juice, and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until thickened slightly and syrupy.While the jam is still hot, remove the jars carefully from the oven, making sure not to touch the insides of the jars or their lids, or you will introduce bacteria all over again. Ladle the hot jam into the hot jars and leave to cool before putting the lids on. Store in fridge.