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A close-up of a spoon dripping dark red plum jelly into an open jar. The label reads "Rootsy" with a rustic design, and the background is softly blurred with warm tones.
Angi Schneider

Plum Jelly

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Plum jelly is easy to make and is a good introduction to learning to can jellies. With just a few ingredients you can stock your pantry with fresh plum jelly.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Yield: 8 half-pint jars
Servings: 32
Course: Sweet Spreads
Cuisine: American
Preservation Method: Canning
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 5 cups Plum Juice you'll need about 4 1/2 pounds of fresh plums
  • 1 Box Powder Pectin
  • 7 cups Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoons Butter optional

Equipment

Method
 

Prepare the canner, jars, and lids
  1. Wash the canner and racks with hot soapy water. Fill the water bath canner 2/3 of the way full with water and put it on the stove over medium heat.
  2. Wash the lids with hot soapy water. Most metal lids do not need to be kept hot before using, however, read the side of the box if you are unsure if your lids do.
  3. Wash the jars with hot soapy water. Because the processing time for plum jelly is only 5 minutes, the jars will need to be sterilized. So put them in the canner and bring the water to a boil. Boil the jars for 10 minutes. Leave the jars in the canner until you’re ready to fill them.
Make and Can the Plum Jelly
  1. Measure 5 cups of juice and put it in a large stockpot. Add one box of “classic” pectin. Heat the juice over medium high heat.
  2. If you want to add 1 tablespoon of butter to juice and pectin to keep it from foaming so much, now is the time. I don’t usually do this and instead just skim the foam off before I fill the jars.
  3. Bring the juice to a rolling boil and then add in 7 cups of sugar. Bring the mixture back to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Set a timer – boiling it longer can cause the jelly to be really firm and hard to spread. The jelly will be runny like syrup – don’t worry, it will firm up as it cools off after the jars have been processed.
  4. Remove the jars from the canner and put them on a towel on the counter. Ladle the jelly into the sterilized jars leaving a 1/4″ headspace.
  5. Wipe the rims with a clean cloth and put the lids and bands on the jars.
  6. Put the filled jars into the canner.
  7. The water needs to cover the jars by at least 1″. If it doesn’t, you need to add more water. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 5 minutes for pints and half-pints.
  8. Adjust the processing time for higher elevations. (see notes below)
  9. Once the processing is complete, remove the jars and let them cool on a towel on the counter for 12-24 hours. Once cooled, remove the bands and check the seals. If any jars failed to seal, put them in the refrigerator to use first.
  10. Wipe the jars with a clean, damp rag and store in a cool, dark place.
To Freeze Plum Jelly
  1. Follow the instructions above for making the jelly. The jars do not need to be sterilized but they do need to be washed in hot, soapy water.
  2. When the jelly is finished boiling, ladle it into the clean jars and leave a 1/4" headspace.
  3. Leave the jars uncovered and let them cool for several hours.
  4. Put the lids on the jelly and put them in the refrigerator overnight.
  5. The next morning, transfer the plum jelly to the freezer.

Notes

For higher altitudes the processing time will need to be adjusted.
  • For 1,000 to 6,000 feet -Process 10 minutes for pints and half-pints
  • Over 6,000 feet -Process 15 minutes for pints and half-pints

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