No Pectin Apple Plum Jelly Recipes

HOMEMADE APPLE JELLY WITHOUT PECTIN

Steps:

• Mix together the apple juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a stock pot.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, constantly stirring.
• Continue to cook the mixture, constantly stirring, until the mixture reaches a temperature of 220° with a candy thermometer. If the jelly hasn't begun to gel once it's reached 220°, you may need to cook it just a little bit longer.*
• Remove the jelly from the heat, and promptly ladle or pour into clean and sanitized/sterilized jars for canning or freezing. Be sure to leave about a 1/2-inch gap at the top of each jar.
• Wipe the rim of each jar with a wet towel or rag, place the lid on, and tighten the band.
• At this point, you can either can the apple jelly or freeze it. I prefer water bath canning apple jelly, where I place the hot jars down in a boiling hot water bath canner with 1-2 inches of water over the jars. Then we process those jars in the hot water bath for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once canned, allow your jelly to sit undisturbed for 24 hours before labeling and storing in your pantry.

SPICED PLUM JAM FROM FRESH PLUMS

Steps:

• Wash the plums well. To remove the seeds - first cut the plum in half. Next, cut the plum half with the seed, in half again (into quarters). One of these quarters will have the seed attached, which you can easily pull out. Alternatively, you can cut the plum flesh around the seed.
• Repeat with all the plums.
• Cut all the plums into 1 inch chunks (roughly). It's OK if the plums are a little crushed at this point, since they will be cooked down anyway.
• WEIGH the chopped plums, so you can decide how much sugar needs to be added. Place the plums in a large bowl (large enough to accommodate the sugar that will be mixed in too).
• Add sugar, salt, lemon juice and spices into the bowl. Mix well.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to 48 hours). Also, place some small saucers / bowls / spoons in the freezer for the jam test (explained below).
• When you're ready to cook the jam, scrape all of the plum-sugar mix into a large pot. Add the grated apple and stir to combine.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture to let it heat evenly. Lower the heat to medium - medium low, and cook until the fruits start to soften.
• MASH the plums with a potato masher, OR you can pass about ¾ of the mix through a food mill (this will remove the skins).
• Continue to cook the plums until the mixture reduces and starts to thicken slightly. Stir frequently to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom and burning. While the jam is cooking, sterilize some heat-proof jam jars and lids.
• Check the temperature of the plum jam every 10 - 15 minutes (more frequently as it thickens more). Cook the jam until the temperature reaches 220°F (105°C).
• If you don't have a thermometer, you can perform the JAM TEST. To do this, drop a little jam on a frozen surface (saucer / bowl / spoon). Then keep it in the freezer for about a minute and check the consistency. If the consistency is jelly-like without being runny, then you've cooked the jam to the right temperature. (If you run a finger through the jam to create a streak, the jam shouldn't join back up in the middle to fill the streak, if it's at the right consistency).
• Remove the pot from the heat.
• Using clean tongs, clean ladles and clean paper towels, carefully ladle hot jam into the hot, sterilized jars. Please be careful, as the jam and jars will be very hot at this stage (wear gloves or oven mitts to protect yourself).
• Screw on the lids while the jars are hot. As the jam and jars cool down, this will create a seal.
• Allow the jars to cool to room temperature completely. Then label and store.

HOW TO MAKE WILD PLUM JELLY WITHOUT PECTIN

Steps:

• Add all of your plums to a large pot (pits and all!), with just a little water to cover the bottom of the pot.
• Cook on low heat, stirring throughout, until plums form a juice and begin to crack open.
• Use a potato masher to smash the plums.
• Strain the plums using a very small holed strainer or a cheese cloth into a pot. Allow the juice to continue to drip from the plum pulp for at least 30 minutes.
• Measure the amount of juice you have.
• For every 1 cup of juice, you can add 3/4 cup-1 1/2 cups of sugar, depending on sweetness of plums and/or preference. We wanted a tart jelly, so we used 3/4 cup of sugar per 1 cup of juice.
• Bring the sugar and juice mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. You'll want to heat the juice until it reaches the gelling point of 220 degrees. You can also check its readiness by performing the spoon test- place the jelly on a metal spoon and put it in the freezer for 1 minute. If it is "set" when it comes out, it should be good to go. I like to use both methods to test the jelly; you don't want to go through all of the work of it to not have good jelly! If for some reason though it doesn't set, you can always use it as a syrup for ice cream!
• Pour hot plum juice into sterilized jelly jars. Process in a waterbath canner for 10 minutes.

SURE.JELL PLUM JAM

Steps:

• Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
• Pit plums. Do not peel. Finely chop or grind fruit; place in saucepan. Add water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 min. Measure exactly 6 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot.
• Stir pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if needed.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

NO PECTIN APPLE PLUM JELLY

Steps:

• Prepare juice: Wash apples. Do not peel or core. Cut apples into wedges.
• Repeat with the plums.
• Add apples and plums to a large pot. Add water.
• Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft. Let cool slightly.
• Strain juice through a damp jelly bag or layers of cheesecloth.
• Make the Jelly: Measure the juice. You should have about 3 cups of juice.
• Pour juice into a large pot. Add sugar.
• Note: The amount of juice may vary. Use ¾ as much sugar as you have of juice.
• Stir to dissolve sugar.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
• Cook and stir until jelly has set; usually at 8 degrees above boiling water temperature or about 220 degrees.
• Or, use the sheet test method to determine if the jelly has set.
• Remove from heat, skim foam if necessary.
• Ladle into sterilized jars leaving ¼ inch headspace.
• Process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes.