For the final time after ten years we are spending the last week of August on Madeira. We leave tomorrow on a very early flight. There is so much to do and the cats sense we will be leaving them.

Despite the dry summer, we have a good crop of Opal plums. We picked buckets full yesterday. Some have now been cooked and frozen with porridge in mind when winter comes and others were made into jam.

The set of the jam is a little soft; perhaps this is because very few of the kernels were mature enough to use. No matter, it tastes delicious.

2kg net weight of slightly under ripe plums
halved and stoned
Kernels from the plum stones
1.75kg sugar

Prepare the plums and leave in a big bowl overnight with the sugar. Next day, skin the kernels and add them to the plums. In a preserving pan, slowly heat the jam mixture to boiling point. Let it bubble quite actively until the scum dies down a little and an area of clear surface can be seen. Then it can be left to cook at a steady rate, stirring occasionally to make sure that the plums are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Test after 20 minutes and, when ready, pour into prepared jam jars and cover.