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Have you heard of a sandhill plum?  These plums are small (about the size of cherries or large marbles), grow wild in some parts of the midwest, and are super sour.  Just about the only thing I know to do with them is make jelly!  It so happens that Sandhill Plum Jelly is my dad’s favorite kind of jelly.  And since there is not a lot of commercially available sandhill plum jelly out there, sometimes the only way you can get it is to make it yourself.  Luckily, we have a thicket of 4 trees on our acreage, so I get to make this special treat for my dad around this time of year!

Sandhill Plum Jelly Recipe

I am very excited to share this sandhill plum recipe with you all!  Even if you don’t have sandhill plums growing nearby, I want to take this moment to encourage you to grow a few things of your own and try some new recipes.  I always feel better when I know exactly where my food is coming from, and what was put on it while it grew!  And, you can always try making jelly or jam with another fruit that you can find locally at a nearby farm or farmer’s market 🙂

First, you will need to gather the fruit.  If you are blessed with a sandhill plum thicket of your own, you can pick every few days as the fruit ripens.  We pick the ripe plums and leave the rest to ripen on the tree.  If you know of a thicket nearby, grab your largest container (5-gallon buckets and coolers work well for this!) and head out.  You can pick the unripe fruits and let them ripen in a single layer (I use a sheet pan to lay them out) on the counter at home. Sandhill plums ripen differently from tree to tree, and even differently on the same tree, so sometimes you just have to watch for them to turn.  Depending on the tree, ripe plums will be anywhere from a bright red to a fuchsia-purple.  They will be slightly squishy and smell sweet.

Sandhill Plums
Be warned… The trees themselves have small thorn-like twigs that jut out everywhere. You can see a few in the picture above.  If you (or your family members) have longer hair, you might want to wear an old bandana over your hair so that it does not get tangled in the trees as you are collecting the plums.  Also, chiggers seem to love the area near our thicket, so be aware that you might need to take precautions to avoid lots of little itchy bites when you’re gathing sandhill plums.

Sandhill Plums
To get the juice, de-stem and wash the plums very well.  Put them in a large pot and add an inch or so of water.  The red-balance on these next few shots is a little off, because these look more like cherry tomatoes than sandhill plums 🙂

Sandhill Plums
Once the plums start to heat up, they will break open and release the pulp and juice (as well as the pits).  Cook that down, and enjoy the sweet/sour smell of the juice!

Sandhill Plums
After it’s cooked for awhile (most of the plums have burst and the skins start to shrivel a little), then you can let it start to cool.  If you have a jelly bag, that’s the easiest way to extract the delicious juice.  I have yet to find one of these in stock at a store around here 🙂 so I just use a fine sieve.  You could also use a few layers of cheesecloth.  You can press lightly on the pulp to get a little more juice out, but you really just want juice and not pulp.  The pulp tends to be bitter. Toss out the pulp and pits.

Sandhill Plums

Sandhill Plum Juice
At this point, you can refrigerate or even freeze the juice until you are ready to make jelly.  I like to put the juice in the freezer since our plums don’t all ripen at the same time.  That way, I can spend an afternoon making lots of jelly at once instead of several small batches over multiple days 🙂  The juice will deepen in color as it cools, and be a beautiful shade of fuchsia.

Now, to make some delicious jelly…  If this is your first time canning, please thoroughly read the recipe from your box of pectin as well as the directions that came with your jars.  While I don’t think you should be afraid of canning, there is a lot to know in order to do it safely and get good results.  It’s always best to err on the side of caution and know what you’re getting in to 😉

Making Sandhill Plum Jelly
You will get the best results if you follow the directions that come with the pectin you buy.  This recipe for sandhill plum jelly follows the directions from Sure-Jell, which happens to be the brand that I have access to at my grocery store.  You will benefit from reading the directions on the little insert that comes in the box!

Get a boiling water canner ready, and heat a small amount of water for the lids.  In a very large stockpot, heat the juice.  Stir in the contents of one box of pectin.  I use a whisk to get it mixed really well.  Bring that to a rolling boil.  This is a boil that can’t be “stirred down”; in other words, it still boils while you stir.  And you need to keep stirring so that it doesn’t scorch!

Add all of the sugar at once and stir until it all dissolves.  Again, I use a whisk to make sure there are no clumps of sugar.  Bring this to a rolling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, while stirring constantly.  This time, the rolling boil will make it seem like the mixture has doubled in volume, but that’s just because it’s boiling.  After the minute is up, take it off of the heat, and ladle it into hot jars.

Making Sandhill Plum Jelly
Using a canning funnel is helpful for this step. Also, I read a tip from Amy at Raising Arrows to keep the jars warm in the oven.  This has helped me so much with canning!  The reason you want the jars to be warm is that if you put hot contents into cold jars, there is a chance they could break and spill hot jelly everywhere. Be safe and use warm jars 🙂

Making Sandhill Plum Jelly
You can see a layer of foam on some of these jars.  Use a spoon to skim off the foam either when it’s in the stockpot or in the jars.  You can discard the foam that you skim off of the jelly, but have to tell you, it is tasty…

Making Sandhill Plum Jelly
I just love the color of this jelly!  It’s so pretty on the pantry shelves.

After all of the jelly has been ladled into the jars, wipe off each rim and screw top with a clean damp cloth, just in case some jelly dripped in the process.  Top each jar with a warm lid, then twist on a band until it’s tight, but not overly tight.

Sandhill Plum Jelly
Process the jars in a boiling water canner for 6 minutes.  Let them cool, undisturbed, on a wire rack or a kitchen towel for 24 hours.  Hear that popping noise?  That’s a good thing!  The “ping” that you hear is the sound of the lid sealing to the jar.  This means that your jelly is shelf stable and safe to use for up to a year.  Some brands even claim they are safe for up to 18 months, so be sure to read the box of your lids.  If the button on the top of the jar is flexible, the jar is not sealed, and you should refrigerate it and use it within 3 weeks or so.

Label the jars with the contents and date.  Store the jars in a location that is moderately cool and fairly dark.  Refrigerate open jars and use within 3 weeks.  Use it on just about everything: toast, biscuits, cornbread, crackers, bagels… You get the idea.

Sandhill Plum Jelly on a Biscuit

Sandhill Plum Jelly

Print Recipe
Servings 10 to 11 half-pint jars

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups sandhill plum juice
  • 8 cups white sugar
  • 1 box dry pectin

Instructions
 

  • Prepare a boiling water canner. Heat a small amount of water for the lids.
  • In a very large stockpot, heat juice. Stir in contents of one box of pectin and mix well. Bring to a rolling boil while stirring constantly.
  • Add all sugar at once and stir until dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly, and boil for exactly 1 minute, Remove from heat.
  • Ladle into hot jars. Wipe off rims and screw tops with a clean damp cloth. Top each jar with a warm lid, then twist on a band until tight.
  • Process jars in a boiling water canner for 6 minutes. Let cool, undisturbed, on a wire rack or a kitchen towel for 24 hours. Check jars for seal. Refrigerate unsealed jars.
  • Label jars with contents and date. Store in a cool and dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate open jars and use within 3 weeks.

Notes

Please note that you will get the best results following the directions included with the pectin you buy. 
Keyword Jelly

Sandhill Plum Jelly
Recipe from Sure-Jell