Home grown Santa Rosa Plums...When we first bough our home, over 20 years now, my husbands grandmother or should I say Nana told us to plant a Santa Rosa Plum tree among others...In which we did except for the Peach Tree, it died and we never replaced it...Maybe one day we will...Anyhow she was the one who taught me how to can...Those were the days...jelly, jam and pickles....we would block out a whole day and start early...It was so much fun...First before I even gather up the plums, I clean off and bleach all the counter tops...I don't worry much about the floor till after in case of spills...Then its harvest time...we take a bunch of bowls.. in this case we filled 5 huge bowls full and there was still more on the tree...then we weighed each batch out 31/2 pounds...I know that the pectin pouch says 3 pounds but we leave the pits in...so much waste when pitted... then we put them in a colander to wash off and rinse and remove any stems...Then I just add them to my roasting pan...it also calls for water I don't add any because after rinsing there already is water in there from that unless you dry them first...I don't I just add them to my pan...then turn up the burners med heat...and cook till soft and comes to a full rolling boil...then once they have cooked down and you start seeing pits and its all liquid-y, you know that its almost go time...make sure you have your jars and lids sterilized...In my canning pot I have water boiling for the sterilization part...Before filling my jars I always dip them in the boiling water just to make sure that they are nice and sterile one more time...then I fill them...but that step is later...back to the jam...once its liquid-y and boiling add your sugar...71/2 cups per batch...I'm able to fit 4 batches in my roasting pan...Saves a lot of time...then stir till the sugar dissolves or you don't feel it at the bottom of your pan...bring to a full rolling boil again....you may start to see foam on top, just scoop it out into another bowl...this will be your waste bowl you will need it once you start filling your jars....Once its all boiling now you add your pectin pouch....we always use the liquid not the powder...bring to a full rolling boil one more time, once it starts to fully boil time it one minuet...once the minuet is up...turn off the heat and start canning...I dip my clean jar in the boiling water, then put your jar funnel on top or should I say in your jar...make sure that is also sterile...dip it in the boiling water also if you want to make sure its clean...you only have to do that once...then through your food mill thing I start ladling the jam in to the mill/strainer with a wooden spoon I mix/mash it around till no more liquid comes out easily then discard the pulp and pits and skin into my waste bowl...fill to the top then remove funnel...make sure your jar tops are clean...use your finger dipped in the sterile water and run it over the top if need be...then take you lids...forgot to mention those I but them in the lid to my roasting pan because its nice and flat you can use a cookie sheet...line up your lids and poor boiling water over them from you tea pot...then take you little magnetic canning wand to pick them up out of the sterile water and place on top of your jar the twist on your top...hand tight and set aside and repeat...if you run out of hot water or your lids are not hot anymore dip those also in you pot of boiling water...That's what I had to do because I didn't feel like waiting for the tea pot...when working with jam and jelly you need to work fast so that it doesn't cool down... especially since I quadruple my recipe...
31/2 pounds of plums
71/2 cups of sugar
1 Pouch of liquid pectin
