How to Can Plum Butter

https://youtu.be/loCO6qjyW0s

With so many plums from my orchard, I am always looking for new ways to preserve them. I like to juice the plums and then make the leftover pulp into plum butter. It is a fabulous way to use all of the fruit. Fruit butter is smoother with more spices and less sugar than jam but used in many of the same ways.

Preparation

Start by preparing your boiling water bath canner with enough water to cover 3 pint-sized jars or 6 half pint jars with 1-2 inches of water. Place the water bath canner on the stove on medium heat. Now that your equipment is ready, it is time to start making plum butter.

Making the Plum Butter

Wash, de-stem, and pit the plums and cook them down to pulp or use the pulp leftover from juicing plums (This is my favorite way.).

Blend the 6 pounds of plum’s pulp so it is nice and smooth.

In a large pot, mix the plums with 2 cups of sugar, 2 cups of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.

Cook until thick.

Using a jar funnel, pour or ladle the butter into clean, hot, pint or half pint-sized jars leaving ¼ inch headspace.

Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp towel.

Place the lids on the jars and twist on the rings until fingertip tight. (For quality, American made Superb canning lids and jars follow this link and use the coupon code WP20 to get 20% off your purchase.) 

Don’t crank the rings down hard. Air needs to escape from the jars during processing.

Lower the filled jars into the boiling water bath canner. The water should cover the jars by at least 1 inch.

Place the lid on the canner and bring the water back to a full rolling boil. Start timing only after the water is boiling again.

Process for pints for 15 minutes or half pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner at sea level or adjust for your elevation.

When the time is up, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before lifting the jars out.

Remove the jars from the water bath. Allow them to sit on the counter for 24 hours then check if they sealed properly.

After the jars have cooled, check the seals. Press the center of each lid. It should be firm and not flex up and down.

Remove the rings, wipe the jars clean, and label them with the name and date.

Store sealed jars in a cool, dry, dark place. For best quality, use them within 3 years. After that, the nutritional value begins to decrease.

If a jar did not seal, place it in the refrigerator and use it within a few weeks.

If you have any questions about how to use a boiling water canner take a look at my canning basics videos.