Plums or Zwetschgen (Italian plums) grow just about anywhere and if you live anywhere in the countryside you dont ever have to buy any plums actually. Even if you dont have a tree in your garden, you can be sure to get tons of them from friends and neighbors every autumn.
And if you have lots of them this year as well, canning plums is really easy. Or make some delicious stewed plums or a nice Zwetschgenkuchen.
Pflaumenmus is a traditional kind of plum jam typical for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland. The main difference between this plum butter and regular jam is that Pflaumenmus contains less sugar and it is made without any gelling agents or preservatives.
There are several ways of cooking it, and they all have one thing in common: the “Mus” has to be cooked for several hours. Over the years, Ive tried all the methods I could find. And found the way that makes our favorite fruit butter. And not just our favorite. I make many jars of this jam every autumn, so lots of people get some as a present. They all say it is the best Pflaumenmus theyve had.
What’s the difference between plum butter and plum jam, you might be wondering? While jam is typically made of cooked fruit with the addition of pectin to make it somewhat gelatinous, fruit butter is basically a reduced fruit puree. Fruit butters are usually silkier, more spreadable, and use waaaay less sugar.
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How to keep it?
Pflaumenmus will keep well for at least one year.
Once canned and cooled, check the lids. If you find some that are not sealed properly, keep those in the refrigerator. Unopened, they will keep for about 6 months.
Once you open a jar, keep it refrigerated. It will also keep for quite a while, at least one month. But that is easy to check, mold is very easily spotted.
What kind of plums do you need?
- Italian plum (Zwetschgen) or regular plums, it is really up to you.
- I use the Italian (or German plums) most of the time because I always get them for free and in considerable amounts.
- The quantities are really up to you. Use as many as you have or as many as your largest cooking pot can hold.
- Todays recipe uses 2 kg/ 4.4 oz Zwetschgen and yields about 5 jars with a capacity of about 300 ml/ 10 fl.oz.
- You will have to adjust the sugar accordingly. For this amount of fruit, I needed 400 g/ 14 oz/ 2 cups sugar.
Canning: How To Make Plum Butter
FAQ
What’s the difference between fruit butter and jam?
What can I use instead of plum jam?
What is the difference between plum preserves and jam?
What is plum butter made of?
What is the difference between plum butter and plum jam?
What’s the difference between plum butter and plum jam, you might be wondering? While jam is typically made of cooked fruit with the addition of pectin to make it somewhat gelatinous, fruit butter is basically a reduced fruit puree. Fruit butters are usually silkier, more spreadable, and use waaaay less sugar.
Is prune a type of dried plum?
There are some types of plums in the world and it was from a French variety that the dried plum emerged. The plum has a firm pulp and a high sugar and acidity content, which allows the fruits to be dried with their cores intact, without fermentation. To produce prunes, they are left on the tree until they are fully ripe. Only then are they harvested and placed to dry between 15 and 24 hours under strictly controlled conditions. Prunes lose so much water in this process that to produce half a kilo of prunes, 1. 5 to 2 kilos of fresh prunes are needed. In the last stage, the plums are bathed in hot water to increase their moisture content and only then are they packaged for consumption.
What is plum butter?
Plum butter is a thick compote or plum puree that is made from boiled-down fresh plums and sugar. In Germany plum butter is known as ” Pflaumenmus ” – ” Pflaume ” is the general term for ” plums ” in German, although Pflaumenmus is usually made from Italian prune plums known in Germany as ” Zwetschge “.
Is fruit butter better than plum butter?
Fruit butters are usually silkier, more spreadable, and use waaaay less sugar. Plus, while time-consuming, they tend to be a bit easier and less finicky to make. If you want to, you can heat process the plum butter and it will keep longer, but chances are you’ll end up using it up pretty quickly anyway!