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A jar of plum jelly being lifted out of a water bath canner.

Plum Jelly Recipe

A delicious homemade plum jelly recipe made with less sugar. Scale this recipe up or down to suit your needs and enjoy this delightful treat.
5 from 4 votes
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Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Canning Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 192 servings
Calories: 39kcal
Author: Carolyn Thomas

Equipment

  • Water Bath Canner
  • Large Stockpot
  • Mason Jars & Lids
  • Canning Tools (jar lifter, funnel, ladel, headspace measurer)

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon plum juice
  • 1 cup lemon juice (bottled)
  • 5.3 tablespoons calcium water (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon - comes with Pomona's Pectin)
  • 8 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup Pomona's Pectin

Instructions

For Plum Juice (with Steam Juicer)

  • Add plums to a steam juicer. Allow fruit to steam until there is only pulp remaining. Save the pulp for the pigs, chickens or the compost pile!

For Plum Juice (without Steam Juicer)

  • Halve and pit your plums, then place them in a large stockpot with about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom.
  • Bring to a boil and continue to stir and mash the plums to avoid scorching on the bottom of the pot.
  • Strain mashed plums through a fine mesh sieve to collect the juice.

For Plum Jelly

  • Begin with clean jars and all your supplies and ingredients ready to go.
  • Mix together lemon juice and calcium water in a bowl.
  • Measure out sugar and add pectin into a separate bowl, stir to combine.
  • Pour plum juice into a large stockpot over medium to medium-high heat.
  • Add lemon juice mixture and stir to combine.
  • Bring to a rolling boil then slowly add sugar mixture while stirring continuously to avoid clumping.
  • Continue stirring until it reaches a rolling boil again.
  • Once your jelly returns to a boil, remove from the heat and begin filling jars

Canning Plum Jelly

  • Prepare water bath canners by filling about 1/2 way full with water and heating to just below a boil.
  • Using a funnel and a ladle, fill clean Mason jars to 1/4 inch headspace.
  • Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a damp towel and place the canning lid on.
  • Add the canning lid band and tighten to fingertip tight.
  • Place jars in a water bath canner and bring to a full rolling boil.
  • Once the water is boiling, process the jelly for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if you’re above 1000 ft. elevation).
  • Turn the canner off and remove the lid.
  • Let jars sit inside the canner for 10 minutes.
  • Remove jars using a jar lifter (and a bowl to catch any drips of water) and place on a towel-lined counter to cool completely, undisturbed, for 24 hours.
  • After 24 hours, remove the bands, check the seals, wipe down any sticky residue and label the jars before storing in the pantry.

Notes

  • A steam juicer will save you hours of time for this recipe. I highly recommend it! 
  • If you're making multiple batches of jelly, be sure to wash the stockpot clean between batches so you don't end up with too much pectin in your plum jelly recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 39kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 0.01g | Fat: 0.03g | Saturated Fat: 0.001g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 0.03g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 0.1IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 0.2mg | Iron: 0.01mg
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