This year has been a bumper one for plums, and the tree in the back garden has produced more than we can cope with. Plum jam is a real treat and a very easy recipe to make, as it usually sets very well.
Use slightly under ripe plums for making jam, as they have higher pectin levels, save the ripe ones for eating.

Removing the stones from plum (or damson) jam can be a pain if left until the end of the jam making process when it tends to cause a hot sticky mess everywhere. When making this batch of jam I roasted the plums before hand and squeezed out the stones, a process explained in more detail in this blog post.

Strawberry jam is the classic, but the addition of gooseberries makes for a slightly tarter alternative. It's also a good way of increasing pectin levels, as gooseberries have a higher pectin content than strawberries.

I used frozen fruit for this jam, strawberries I'd picked from a fruit farm a few weeks earlier, and gooseberries from the garden. Both types of fruit had been prepared (hulled or top and tailed) then simmered for about 15 minutes before mashing with a potato masher and then frozen.
If you're pushed for time this can be a good way of spreading the jam making over a few days.

How to store jam is often a concern, and space can sometimes become an issue if several types are made.

The traditional advice is to store jam in a cool, dry, dark place such as a larder or cellar. In modern houses under the stairs, or in a garage or shady shed may be the best option.

Strawberry jam is the classic summer jam, and well worth making if you have access to lots of berries. Pick you own fruit farms are always good fun and prices can be around half of what you pay in the supermarkets and you also get to choose which berries to have, which in most cases for jam should be slightly under ripe.

Making strawberry jam is extremely simple, but care should be taken to get the setting point as strawberries are low in pectin and can often result in a runny jam. For this reason it's safer to use under ripe fruit (pectin levels are higher) and add the lemon juice as stated in the recipe.

Rhubarb and orange jam is a old fashioned recipe which appears in Mrs Beeton's famous cook book. It's a good alternative to Rhubarb and Ginger Jam and can be made with young or old rhubarb.

This time of year we're struggling to keep up with the rhubarb, and it's a great chance to stock up on jams and pickles early in the season. Rhubarb always seems to produce a faultless range of preserves, there's a selection of recipes here.

Inspired by The Great British Bake Off on the BBC we've been cooking scones to eat with cream and jam for the classic cream tea.

Using Paul Hollywood's scone recipe these were perfect with our recently made raspberry jam.

Our friend Helga makes a delicious fresh tasting raspberry jam with a stunning vibrant colour. She revealed that her secret is to use preserving sugar with added pectin, this cuts down on the amount of time needed to cook the jam, so maintaining the taste and colour of the berries.

  See here for the raspberry jam recipe in more detail.

The gooseberries are swelling nicely and early varieties are already in the shops. The fresh fruit is not to everyone's taste, but is delicious when used in jam or chutney. Why not try some of these recipies:

 

The elderflowers are bursting out of the hedgerows at this time of year. The best time to pick them is on a dry, warm day when the blooms are newly open and white. Try to find a bush that is away from a main road (to avoid exhaust fumes), and remember to keep to public footpaths. Their fragrance gives a wonderful summery flavour to the following recipes.

 

Elderflower and Rhubarb Jam
A combination of the best two early summer flavours.

The elderflowers are really starting to look good in the hedgerows and this is a perfect way to use their subtle flavour with that other early summer favorite rhubarb. You don't need may umbrels of flowers to get a hint of the taste, and you can use any extra to make elderflower cordial.

This recipe is adapted from the one in Edible Wild Plants & Herbs by Pamela Michael.