Directions: |
Directions:On a hot day in July put on long sleeve shirt, long pants, and hat. Watch for wasps too.
Every one needs a bucket. Bring a box to dump plums in.
Strip the plums right into your bucket.
Pick until you get hotter and sweatier and tired.
Get in the air conditioned vehicle (pickup is best as plums grow in sandy areas) and hope you don’t have to walk home!!
You can let the plums ripen a few days (yellow ones will turn red eventually).
Wash the plums and remove the stems (easier when very ripe). Don’t worry about the bad spots either. Put in a large pot and cover with water plus 1-2 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Use a potato masher and mash after about 30-45 minutes trying to get pulp off seeds. Let cool some. Find a colander with holes smaller than the seeds. Put some of the cooked plums in the colander and begin pushing pulp out. I put on gloves and work on pressing the pulp out. Put the seeds in another pan. When you have worked all of the plums, put an inch or 2 of water over the seeds and work out more pulp. Process them through the colander and discard the seeds. Now you’re ready to make jam.
Wash 3 pint jars per recipe and sterilize (I run through dishwasher) and lids
Per the Sure Jell recipe for sour cherries:
4 cups pulp (you can add up to 1/2 cup more)
1 teaspoon butter
1 box Sure Jell
Bring to full rolling boil
Add 4 3/4 cups sugar, stir
Bring to full rolling boil and hold for one minute (I just count to 60)
Remove from heat and put in jars. Clean jar rim with clean wet cloth. Put lid and ring on and tighten. Set on clean towel and leave overnight to cool. Check to see if sealed. If so, remove ring and store. If not sealed, give away and eat now. Store in refrigerator. You can keep sealed jams and jellies for years but they may turn darker. No problem though. |
This recipe for Wild Plum Jam is from