Plum Lemon Verbena Jam

Plums are the overlooked beauties of the fruit world. The only metaphor I can think of here involves a certain teen romantic comedy and a wonky, diamond-in-the-rough girl who gets a make-over for prom. They’re not showy like our coveted sour cherries and they stick around the market longer here in the northeast, so they create less of a frenzy. I, however, think they’re darn near perfect.

I love a good marriage of beauty and utility. Beyond being gorgeous, plums are highly acidic and some varieties even contain a fair amount of pectin–both boons for folks interested in putting plums in jars. I made this plum lemon verbena jam right before my trip home. I hadn’t set out to make it, but after finding both plums and fresh lemon verbena at the market, I knew I had to set them up.

Even on vacation, I must have had plums on my mind because after some awesome thrifting…





and some awesome mountains…

I came back to the city and immediately bought more plums.