Trail Cherry Plum Jam
Dried plums, sugar, and a sour hit, boiled down in a pot until it holds on a spoon.
- calories
- 360
- weight
- 3.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 2 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 200 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dried plums | 1/2 cup, halved | prunes stand in for fresh cherry plums |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 3 tbsp | granulated, not powdered |
| Citric acid | 1/4 tsp | or a lemon juice powder packet |
| Salt | a pinch | |
| Water | 200 ml |
Method
- Put the plums and 200 ml of water in the pot. Bring it to a boil and let it run four or five minutes until the fruit swells.
The original is a Romanian preserve made from cherry plums in the two weeks they are ripe, cooked down with sugar until it sets. None of that survives a pack. What does survive is the shape of it: sour fruit, sugar, and enough boiling to drive off water.
Dried plums are already half of the work done for you, so the pot time is about rehydrating rather than reducing. The citric acid matters more than it looks. Dried fruit loses the sharpness that made the fresh version worth eating, and without it you get sweet mush. Sugar going in late keeps the pot from scorching over a hot stove.
Packing
Plums, sugar, citric acid, and salt go into one small bag at home. Cut the plums up before the trip; doing it in camp with a pocket knife is slow and sticky.
Variations
- A cinnamon stick or two cracked cardamom pods in the pot while it simmers.
- Stir the finished jam into hot oats instead of eating it alone.
- Dried apricots work the same way and need about the same time.
https://savoriurbane.com/dulceata-de-corcoduse-sau-zarzare-reteta-de-pe-vremuri