Wild
Plum Jelly
Growing
up in Texas homemade Wild Plum Jelly is a staple in the summer. The
first summer on the ranch we was driving home from town when we saw a
odd looking car sitting on the side of the road. We slowed down and witnessed the ultimate ode to Wild Plum
Jelly. In this bright plum half car half truck bed was two couples
all matching In plum shirt's with the words Plumketeer's. We could not help but stop and talk to them I mean it
is not everyday you come across such a sight. They explained that
they did this every year and it was a tradition to drive the back roads
in the summer time when the Wild Plum's are ripe to make the most
delicious jelly. So naturally me and my husband had to try it and after ten years we still pick wild plums every summer together and giggle thinking back to the day we met the Plumketeer's.
Rinse your Plums and remove stems.
Bring your Plums to a full boil to remove skins & pits.
Put plum meat back in the reserved water.
Ingredients
4 Cups of Wild Plum's
6
Cups of Sugar
Water
to Fill Pot
Jar's
that are sanitized with lid to secure. See Tips & Tricks at the end!
Directions
- Rinse the plum's in cold water. Remove stems and any leaves,
- Put Plum's in deep pot and add water to just cover plum's.
- Bring Plum's to boil. Boil for ten minutes stirring constantly. When the outside of the plums burst and skin starts to peel off turn off heat and let cool.
- Once plum's are cool. Take a slotted spoon and remove a few spoonful's of plums out on a plate. Remove pits and skin and scoop the meat into a separate bowl. Repeat until you have nothing left In your pot. Reserve water.
- Reheat your water to Medium High. Add your plum meat back into the water. Bring to a boil and keep stirring. Slowly add your sugar. I add ½ cup at a time to be sure to let the sugar dissolve. Remember to taste to sweetness.
- Let the water plum mixture come to a full boil for a good ten minutes. Once you fill comfortable with your consistency turn off the burner and let it cool. *Follow tips below for the best consistency.
- Fill your jar's and store in a dark dry place. Enjoy!
I
always feel like my consistency is not right so don't be alarmed. You
may need more sugar or water depending on your batch. It is very
important to keep trying your Jelly while it's cooking to test it's
flavor. My full proof tip to determine if the consistency is right is
to put a plate in the freezer before you start your jelly. Once you
get to the point where you have added all your sugar and brought it
to a full boil and feel like it's done. Pull you plate from the
freezer and drop a spoonful on the frozen plate and return to the
freezer for five minutes. When you check it the jelly should be thick
but if it is still runny place it back on the stove and add more
sugar. Stir and bring to a boil again for five minutes. This trick is
a real life saver.
