梅子果醬【熟梅芳香】Green Plum Jam

 春天的雨水被稱為「梅雨」，原來真的和梅子有關，因為梅子成熟時，江南正值雨季，所以因此得名。梅雨季快結束了，巿場上的青梅尾貨開始成熟變黃。青梅酸澀帶苦，適合做梅乾，脆梅；黃梅芳香微甜，浸酒做果醬最讚。梅酒、梅乾要等一段日子才能享用，梅子果醬即做即吃，如果大家喜歡杏桃 apricot 味的果醬便更加不能錯過，杏桃大多從歐洲進口，價格昂貴。梅和杏是親戚，做果醬味道和 apricot 差不多， 價廉物美，甜甜酸酸，只想已經口流直流，雖然沒有鮮豔光彩的色澤，無色素、香料，增味劑，以原色梅肉上陣，塗麵包、餅乾、熱香餅，風味絕佳。

◤材料

• 青梅 Riped Green Plum 1000 g  ( 最好用成熟變黃的梅子，過熟破皮的也可以啊 )
• 原蔗冰糖／原漿冰糖 Raw Rock Sugar 560 g  ( 梅子酸度很高，因此用糖較多，糖量可自行斟酌，但減太多會影響膠化 )

◤做法

❶ 青梅放在室溫一至兩天變黃，梅子變黃的進度不一，將早變黃的梅子先放入雪櫃的生果格，可爭取時間等待其他梅子轉黃而不發霉或壞掉 ( 青的梅子也能做，但味道較酸，要增加糖量才容易入口，肥丁這次用的是一半黃一半青 )

❷ 用刀在青梅的表皮劃十字，放入沸水中浸泡 30 秒 – 1 分鐘，倒掉注入冷水冷卻，梅子皮便很容易撕掉

❸ 將梅子放在過篩中，用湯匙幫助將果肉刮出，棄果核

❹ 玻璃瓶用熱水煮 10 分鐘消毒，放入預熱 100ºC 的焗爐烘乾，用風筒吹乾亦可

❺ 梅子放在鍋中，加入冰糖，中火煮至冰糖全部溶解，不停輕輕攪拌，將浮起的泡泡撈走，收小火煮至色澤稍為變深變濃即可入瓶，趁熱入瓶，倒置冷卻

小叮嚀

• 梅子水份多，煮好的果醬可能仍然是很稀的狀態，冷卻後會自然凝固成黏調狀
• 煮果醬的時間最好不要超過 8 – 10 分鐘，否則營養會流失很多

更多梅子食譜

• 梅酒 ( 米酒釀 )
• 蜂蜜梅酒 
• 酸梅乾 / 紫蘇梅
• 日式梅乾
• 酸梅湯
• 脆梅
• 梅子汽水
• 青梅露(青梅糖漿)

[:en]

The rainy season in spring is called “plum rain”, and it is actually related to plums, because plums ripen when the rainy season arrives in the Jiangnan region, hence the name. The plum rain season is about to end, and the green plums are starting to ripen and turn yellow. Green plums are sour and bitter, suitable for making dried plums and crispy plums; yellow plums are fragrant and slightly sweet, best for making plum jam.

Plum wine and dried plums need to be aged for a while before they can be enjoyed, but plum jam can be consumed right away. If you like apricot-flavored jam, you cannot miss out on it. Most apricots are imported from Europe, and they are quite expensive. Plums and apricots are relatives, so the taste of the jam is similar to apricot jam. They are affordable and have a sweet and sour flavor, which makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Although they don’t have a bright and vibrant color, they are made with pure plum flesh, without any added coloring, flavorings, or preservatives. Spread it on bread, crackers, or hot pancakes, and the flavor is simply exquisite.

Ingredients

• Green Plums/Ume 1000 g (It’s best to use ripe, yellow plums, but overripe and cracked plums can also be used)
• Raw Rock Sugar/Raw Cane Sugar 560 g (Plums are very sour, so more sugar is needed. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to taste, but reducing it too much will affect the gelling)

Instructions

❶ Let the green plums sit at room temperature for 1-2 days until they turn yellow. The plums may not ripen evenly, so place the early-turning yellow ones in the refrigerator’s fruit compartment to wait for the others to ripen without getting moldy or spoiled. (Green plums can also be used, but the taste will be more sour, requiring more sugar to be palatable. For this batch, half yellow and half green plums were used.)

❷ Use a knife to make a cross-shaped cut on the skin of the green plums, then soak them in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain and immerse in cold water to cool, making the skins easy to peel off

❸ Sterilize the glass jars by boiling them for 10 minutes, then dry them in a 100°C preheated oven or with a hair dryer.

❹ Put the plum flesh in a pot, add the rock sugar and apple pectin (if available), and cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, then reduce the heat and continue cooking until the color becomes slightly darker and thicker. Immediately transfer the hot jam into the sterilized jars and invert them to cool.

Tips:

• Plums contain a lot of moisture, so the finished jam may still be quite runny. It will naturally thicken as it cools.
• It’s best not to cook the jam for more than 8-10 minutes, as prolonged cooking can cause nutrient and fragrance loss.

More Green Plum Recipes 

• Green Plum Wine  (Soaking in Wine Method )
• Honey Green Plum Wine (Fermented) 
• Preserved Green Plum / 紫蘇梅
• Umeboshi (Japanese Style Salted Green Plum)
• Sour Plum Soup
• Crispy Green Plum
• Green Plum Soft Drinks
• Green Plum Syrup