When we bought this place about 8 1/2 years ago, we were pleased to have 2 plum trees on our property. About a year or so later, they were overloaded with plums. So we picked, and picked, and picked...etc....
And I learned how to make plum jam.....
I canned at least 50 quart jars of jam that year. From 2 trees. That was a lot of jam for me. Some of you who can might think I was a wimp, but I just couldn't keep up with the trees. I could have put up a lot more, but I couldn't reach all of them (even with a ladder) and I was just learning and was slower than molasses.....picking, pitting, cooking, etc....this was an introduction to retirement that I was not expecting.
But oh, such good jam.. and from our own trees! I shared a lot with relatives and friends....
Fast forward to Summer, 2010.
Drier weather, pre-drought conditions, but we were lucky to have rain at the right time....One of the trees came through again. The other had a few, but this one....WOW! No pictures of the crop of plums during that summer, but there were even more than the last time. Branches were weighted down. Still a lot I couldn't reach. Big job for someone in their 70s.... I called a friend of mine who loved to can and told her that I couldn't handle them all and didn't want them to go to waste. So she came over, several times actually. There were so many to pick..we concentrated on one long branch at the bottom..She is shorter than I am and I am only 5' tall. We filled about (10) 5 gallon buckets that day..we continued to fill buckets in the days that followed and still didn't get them all...
This year I was smarter...I prepared about (3) 10 cup containers of pulp and juice and froze it (no sugar, no jell). My friend took the bulk of the plums for her use and canned them all..In addition, she brought me 3 more containers, same size, and I froze them. I made a couple of batches last year.
This year I made another batch. On Dec 23rd.... The containers hold just enough for one batch + enough juice for a couple of loaves of plum bread...
There is just the two of us, so the main portion was canned in 12 small 1/2 pint containers for us.
I'll give away the 3 larger jars and keep the 12 smaller ones, one for each month. Hopefully I can finish canning the rest of the pulp in the freezer this coming year, one batch at a time......
It is SO GOOD!
Will you be my neighbor?? LOL! I'd love to have fruit trees, and yours look LOADED!! The plum bread sounds delicious; I've never thought of that type of bread! And one for each month...how clever!
ReplyDeleteOh man, I've never had plum jam but you just set my mouth to watering! That's a lot of plums! Had you thought of getting some high schoolers to pick for you? Then you wouldn't see any go to waste.
ReplyDeleteMy mother loved making plum jelly and hers was the best! I sure do miss it. I rarely see plum trees any more - you're lucky to have those two. blessings, marlene
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