Canning Plums
Canning plums is a simple way to preserve the fruit right on the pantry shelf, perfect for baking, or simply eating right out of the jar!
Equipment
- Ball Mason PINT Jars Wide-Mouth Can or Freeze with Lids and Bands, Set of 12, Dissolvable Labels - (Set Of 60)
- Ball Wide Mouth Quart (32 oz.) Mason Jars with Lids and Bands, for Canning and Storage, 8 Count
- Granite Ware Enamel-on-Steel Canning Kit, 9-Piece
Ingredients
- Plums Roughly 2 lbs per quart jar, or 1 lb per pint
- Canning Liquid Water, syrup or juice ~ See notes
Instructions
- Prepare a water bath canner.
- Prepare the plums for canning by either slicing them in half and removing their pits for plum halves, or pricking the outside with a toothpick for whole plums with pits.
- Prepare a canning liquid, either water, juice, or syrup (see notes) and bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Hot Pack ~ For hot pack plums (recommended), place the prepared fruit in the boiling liquid and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and place a lid on the pot. Allow the plums to sit in the hot liquid for 20 to 30 minutes to gently heat through. Then pack the hot fruit into canning jars.
- Raw Pack ~ If you choose raw pack instead of hot pack, simply pack the prepared fruit into canning jars.
- For both hot and raw pack, ladle the hot canning liquid over the top of the plums. This should cover them completely but leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Remove bubbles, adjust headspace, and cap with 2 part canning lids to finger tight.
- Process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts) at altitudes under 1000 feet (see notes below for higher elevations).
- When canning time is complete, remove the jars to a towel on the counter to cool and wait 24 hours before checking seals. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use, and sealed jars in the pantry.
- Properly processed and sealed jars should maintain quality on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months.
Notes
Yields ~ It takes roughly 2 pounds of fresh plums for every quart jar or 1 pound per pint jar. This will vary slightly depending on the size of the plums, whether they're half or whole, and whether they're raw or hot pack (hot pack requires more fruit per jar).
Syrup for Canning Plums ~ The canning liquid is pretty flexible, and plums may be canned in plain water if you choose. Fruit juice, such as apple, pear, or grape is also an option. I'd suggest canning plums in extra light syrup, but sugar ratios are listed below for a number of different syrup options:
Extra Light syrup ~ For a 9-pint canner load, use 3/4 cups sugar and 6 1/2 cups water. For a 7-quart canner load, add 1 1/4 cups sugar to 10 1/2 cups water.
Light Syrup ~ For a 9-pint canner load, use 1 1/2 cups sugar and 5 3/4 cups water. For a 7-quart canner load, add 2 1/4 cups sugar to 9 cups water.
Medium Syrup ~ For a 9-pint canner load, use 2 1/4 cups sugar and 5 1/4 cups water. For a 7-quart canner load, add 3 3/4 cups sugar to 8 1/4 cups water.
Altitude Adjustments ~ The standard process time for plums in a water bath canner is 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts for elevations under 1000 feet. For higher elevations, adjust the canning time as follows:
- For 1,000 to 3,000 feet ~ Process 25 minutes for pints and 30 minutes for quarts.
- For 3,000 to 6,000 feet ~ Process 30 minutes for pints and 35 minutes for quarts.
- Over 6,000 feet ~ Process 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts.