Too Much time on my hands: Earth Day Thursday- Canning Lesson- Easy Plum Jelly

Organic Plums for $1.49 per pound!

We couldn't resist. My friend, Amy, bought 15 pounds and we got busy canning.

Canning is so easy. I was scared at first, but really you do not need special canning pots or tools. You need one BIG pot and the jars and you're set. I also do not use the pectin or gelatin in anything. If you cook the jams and jellies long enough they get thick without it!

First, sterilize the jars and lids. I use a big stock pot for this.

I boil them for 10 minutes and let them cool off on a clean towel.

Next, we cut up the plums into wedges and put them in soup pots.

For every 4 cups of plums we added 1 cup of sugar and 1 TB of lemon juice

We cooked and stirred over low heat until everything broke down and got nice and thick (like honey).

Then we added the jam to our jars leaving some room at the top for expansion.

We wiped all food from the rims, placed the lids on, and tightened by hand.

Next, the jars went back into the big pot of water and we made sure the water is 1-2 inches above the tops of the jars.

Because we live at 5,000+ feet we needed to boil the jars for 20 minutes to preserve the jam. We pulled out the jars and let them cool and finish sealing on the counter for 24 hours.

Then we added our cutie labels I found on a big canning label search and they are ready for gift giving!