Greengages are one of those fleeting fruits, barely even there before they’ve departed for another year. If you see some, my only advice is to buy them. As many as you can carry or afford. Known in France as Reine Claude, they are the most regal of the plums, elegant and subtle, honey sweet but still bright. I first tried greengage jam when Lillie from London Borough of Jam introduced me to it. She flavours hers with fennel pollen, and she has a recipe for greengage and pecan jam in her terrific book Five Seasons of Jam. I’ve kept my recipe pure, just the stunning flavour of this heavenly fruit. This recipe is flexible depending on how many greengages you have. I weigh the fruit (stone removed) and calculate the sugar to be 40% of the weight of the fruit. Water is 18% the weight of the sugar. This made about 760 g of jam, enough for two and half jars. I’m eating it on toast with almond butter, or on cold rice pudding. You should streak it through yoghurt or fill a sponge cake with it. Enjoy this jam all the way through winter to keep your spirits high and your mood good.
Greengage jam
750 g greengages (stoned weight)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
55 g water
1/4 tsp salt
300 g sugar
Slice the stoned fruit and add it to a jam pan or large pot with the lemon juice, water and salt. Bring to the boil over a medium low heat and cook until the fruit starts to break down.
Add the sugar and stir. Bring back to the boil and cook until it reaches 105C (or a degree or two lower if you prefer a loose jam). Let it sit for 5 minutes before pouring into sterilised jars and twisting the lids on tightly.
Turn the jars upside down until they cool. This helps ensure a good seal on your jar.