These are plums that I obtained from a neighbor's tree. They ranged from quite ripe to just barely, but they had a beautiful smell before I cut them. They weren't very sweet to begin with. I added sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and star anise. It's a great color. I'm highly critical of my skills, so often jams I deem a disaster are actually good the next day. I'll let you know when we have breakfast.
Lemons can be used to make lemon curd or marmalade. I've made lemon marmalade with plain lemons but you can cut the fruit with strawberries or other sweeter fruits.
Here's an excellent recipe I got from the bbc website: If you don't put this up in canning jars (it keeps for at least 6 months after putting in sterilized canning jars and subjecting them to a hot water bath), you need to refrigerate it because of the eggs.
And one important tip: cream the butter and sugar together first before adding any lemon zest or juice. This way it won't curdle. If it does you have to run it through a strainer which is not fun.
Lemon Curd
by Burrastow House Hotel
Makes 4-6 jars
4 lemons, rind and juice
4 eggs
110g/4oz butter
450g/1lb sugar (c. 2 cups)
Method
1. Grate rind of lemons and squeeze out juice. Put sugar, rind and juice, butter and beaten eggs into a large basin on top of a pan of simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until thick and curd coats the back of the spoon. Pour into warm sterile jars, cover, seal and label. Refrigerate.
For citrus marmalades, you need to slice the fruit thinly after cutting into quarters or eighths. Then let it soak overnight in a pan with enough water to cover so it floats freely. The 2nd day bring to a boil and let it cook until the rinds are tender. Let it sit overnight. The 3rd day, measure it. You will want to add up to an equal amount of sugar, but begin with a few cups shy of the overall volume. Then add it as it cooks to taste. You should keep a small plate or saucer in the freezer. When the marmalade begins to reach 220 degrees fahrenheit, or it begins to sheet off the spoon (you have to stir it pretty regularly/I use a large silicone spatula to keep scraping the bottom of the pot to insure it doesn't stick) drop a teaspoon on the freezer plate, and put it back into the freezer for a couple of minutes. It should wrinkle when pushed if it's ready, and if you drag a finger through the drop, the jam should remain separated into two separate areas instead of running back together.
