I had such a wonderful time over the weekend in Seattle. I met so many amazing people, reunited with a dear old friend, taught a really fun canning class and saw my parents for the first time in nearly nine months. I have bunches of pictures from the weekend, and so expect a post in the next couple of days that will feature those photos, along with my thoughts about the first Canning Across American weekend (preview: it was a rousing success and I can’t wait for next year).
Before I start talking about plums, there’s a bit of giveaway business to wrap up. The blackberry jam goes to lucky number 13, which is the comment left by Linus (who is a web developer and pickle maker – nice combo). He also seems to be Philly-based, which means that I get to skip the post office this time around and see if I can’t hand deliver this particular jar.
Last week, before I left town, I made tentative plans to meet up with the Philadelphia half of Doris and Jilly Cook to take a Mood’s Farm field trip just a couple of hours after I returned from the trip. My parents thought this plan crazy, assuming I’d need the rest of the day to recover from the red-eye flight. Thanks to my exhaustion and an innate ability to sleep just about anywhere, I landed feeling fairly refreshed and ready to take on an afternoon of fruit picking.
The sheer abundance at the farmstand merely hinted at the bounty we’d encounter in the fields. The peach trees were hanging heavy with fruit and the raspberry canes were covered in the largest, most delicious berries I’ve met in about twenty years. We had plans to pick blackberries as well, but mid-picking decided that our containers would be better used for the raspberries.
When we headed back to the city, the station wagon carried nearly 100 pounds of fruits and vegetables. My personal haul included 2 1/2 pounds of raspberries (at $3.75 a pound, they were by far the most expensive item I’ve ever gotten at Mood’s), nearly 20 pounds of rosy peaches, two quarts of Gala apples (those are just for eating, I’ll get some fresh Granny Smith’s later in the season for apple sauce and butter) and four quarts each of Bartlett pears (for butter), Seckel pears (for canning whole and pickling) and Italian plums.
I haven’t tackled the pears yet, but last night I turned the raspberries into jam (stay tuned, I’ll have that recipe and giveaway up later in the week) and I canned four quarts of the plums in a honey syrup. Canning whole fruit like this couldn’t be easier, because beyond washing, the fruit needs no prepping (some recipes recommend piercing the skin with a sharp fork several times. I skipped it and the skins only barely cracked). You simply pack the raw, whole fruit as tightly as you can into your cleaned jars, pour the syrup in to cover, shake out the air bubbles and process. I tucked a cinnamon stick into each jar, but that’s as fancy as I got. The quarts process for 25 minutes in a boiling water bath and then you’re done.
So, if you have a glut of plums, this is a great way to handle them quickly and easily. When winter comes, you can eat them whole with yogurt or ice cream, make a cobbler with them, or even stew them down further and eat them over oatmeal. So, so good. Recipe after the jump.
Whole Plums Preserved in Honey Syrup
1 1/2 cups of honey
4 cups of water
enough plums to fill four quart jars (I used three of my four quarts)
4 cinnamon sticks, a vanilla bean sliced into four pieces or four star anise bits
In a medium saucepan, combine the honey and water and bring to a boil.
Bring a canning pot or large stock pot to a boil. Put your lids into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Clean canning jars and pack the plums in as tightly as you can. Insert your cinnamon stick, vanilla bean or star anise. Fill jars with honey syrup, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
Wipe rims to remove all traces of any spilled honey syrup, apply lids and tightened rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 25 minutes (starting time when the pot returns to a boil after the jars have been placed inside).
When processing time is up, remove the jars to a cutting board or towel-lined countertop (as they cool and seal, they might spit out a bit of sticky syrup, so don’t let them cool on any surface that can’t handle that). Let the jars cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
When jars are completely cool, remove the rings, check the seals and wipe the jars down to remove any sticky residue. Label and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
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[...] in a few weeks. So, when I got back home, I was jonesing for a canning project or two. So I canned plums in a honey syrup and made raspberry [...]
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Dropstone Farms » Dark Days Week 3: Comfort food (part 1) added these pithy words on Dec 07 09 at 1:39 am[...] with fried potato pancakes and green beans on the side. A simple plum torte, with plus using Marisa’s recipe, finished off the meal with a smear of chunky jammy [...]
Dark Days 09-10: Week #3 Recap (East, Pacific Northwest) « (not so) Urban Hennery added these pithy words on Dec 10 09 at 1:38 am[...] right, I just popped it into the jars, poured a syrup over top and processed. I wrote about the plums in honey, but as I look back through the archives, I realize I never managed to blog about the seckel pears [...]
Food in Jars » Pear Cake added these pithy words on Apr 01 10 at 11:25 pmOkay, that IS easy. And now I can’t wait for this weekend – I have plans to hit a farmstand/u-pick with my mom on Sunday, and I fully intend to come back with heaps of berries and plums
1. Adrienne added these pithy words on
Sep 02 09 at
6:21 am
Canned this weekend. Had a wonderful time. I canned steak and burger sauce yesterday that used plums. I made raspberry jam only with berries and sugar. It gelled very well. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip. Oh, our fruitstand/pick your own is always amazed at the amount we can around here. I have comments like, “I know where I will be this winter”. After seeing all the peaches I will be putting up. If I can do it anyone can do it!
2. Amelia added these pithy words on
Sep 02 09 at
9:03 am
I’m so sad I didn’t get to go on that picking trip with you. My mouth is watering for some raspberries, plums and peaches!
3. Birdie added these pithy words on
Sep 02 09 at
9:11 am
Thank you for the great class on Sunday. I’m super excited to start canning. You took all the fear out of me!
4. Lauren added these pithy words on
Sep 02 09 at
12:31 pm
I was contemplating the fact that I don’t have to go to work on Friday and on of the thoughts that drifted through my mind was hey – maybe I should see what they’re picking at Mood’s…
You have totally hooked me.
5. Fran added these pithy words on
Sep 02 09 at
6:51 pm
Hi I was wondering if you have tried this method with peaches? Or if you have any suggestions for spiced peaches using the whole fruit? So glad I discovered your blog! I have a mature fig tree and have been making fig jam or the past three weeks but am ready to move on to peaches soon and would love to hear if you have any tried and true favorites. Thanks!
6. sharon added these pithy words on
Sep 02 09 at
8:08 pm
Such a fabulous day in the fields! Never has my car smelled so good. I dehydrated half the plums and will try this with the other half. Please do tell how you canned those Seckel pears…
7. Doris the Goat added these pithy words on
Sep 03 09 at
8:34 am
Adrienne, it really is easy. When you shop for your plums, remember that the smaller ones work the best for something like this, as they’re easier to fit in the jar.
Amelia, people always say the same thing to me. When people hear that I can the way I do, they also say, “I know where I’m coming during the next power outage.”
Sharon, I haven’t tried this exact method with peaches, but I have done peach halves in a regular sugar syrup a couple of times this summer to good result. They get halved, peeled and packed cut-side down into pint jars. Top with a honey or sugar syrup (google “sugar syrup for canning” for a recipe), add lids and process. You can also add bits of flavor enhancers, just like in this recipe.
Doris, I haven’t done anything with the Seckel pears yet, but I’m planning on tackling them tonight. I found a pickle recipe for them that sounds intriguing…
8. Marisa added these pithy words on
Sep 03 09 at
10:09 am
This past weekend I canned the Sugar Plums in Syrup from the CAA website – adding vanilla & cinnamon to the syrup. Next year I’ll have to try the honey syrup instead. Growing up, one of my favorite parts of canned plums was the lemonade my mom would make with the syrup from the jars.
While I canned solo this year, I plan to host a party next summer – so many friends have commented that they would like to learn after seeing my blog & pictures of the results.
9. Amy added these pithy words on
Sep 03 09 at
12:04 pm
oh my GAWD. I can’t even imagine how incredible these would taste on a dreary slushy winter day. Total swoon.
10. Sam@BingeNYC added these pithy words on
Sep 03 09 at
1:42 pm
Wouldn’t the honey syrup work on other fruits besides plums?
These were beautiful, by the way.
11. Deanne Upchurch added these pithy words on
Sep 04 09 at
4:03 pm
Those plums look a.w.e..s.o.m.e
I can almost taste them on top of some pound cake come January. Thanks for the great, quick lesson in whole-fruit canning!
12. molly added these pithy words on
Sep 04 09 at
6:24 pm
This looks delicious! We have a plum tree in our backyard and I have been looking for a quick way to can them. My question is – What about the pits? Can I remove them or would this ruin the process some how? I was thinking it would be nice to have them already pitted for use in cobblers and such during the winter. Thanks!
14. Emily added these pithy words on
Sep 05 09 at
12:43 pm
Never done pluma- maybe a new project for next week!
15. Aviva added these pithy words on
Sep 06 09 at
11:50 pm
I just made a batch. One of the jars didn’t seal, so I opened it. They taste just like Christmas! They are so good!
How to you keep the color? I used Italian plums and the color faded and there was some fruit shrinkage. They don’t look so good, but OMG they are wonderful!
How does chlorine affect the canning process? I can taste the chlorine in our water and am wondering if
16. Sue added these pithy words on
Sep 07 09 at
5:13 pm
(sorry, I hit send too soon!) the chlorine affects the fruit in the canning process.
17. Sue added these pithy words on
Sep 07 09 at
5:14 pm
So, I did this last night. I did remove air bubbles before I processed these, but after processing there are huge air gaps at the top. The seal formed, but a couple of plums are not immersed in honey. Do I need to fridge this or will they be ok?
18. Adrienne added these pithy words on
Sep 09 09 at
6:35 am
Okay so I have a glut of plums and more on the way from my MIL. I had planned to make some jams, and chutney and the like, but really need half pint jars (which BTW are not cheap) I do have quart and pint jars and I like the look (and ease) of this recipe. My question is what do you do with them, eat them later? Can I use the honey syrup for a later purpose as well?
Just curiouse. I am probably going to be doing this this weekend, and then will find a use for them later.
19. Tree added these pithy words on
Sep 11 09 at
12:04 pm
Tree, you can definitely use the honey syrup later. You could cook it down into more of a syrup and stir it into tea, use it to sweeten yogurt or drizzle it on top of pancakes.
As far as the plums go, you can slice them up and eat them on top of a slice of cake, waffles, yogurt, ice cream or french toast. You can cook them into a dimple cake like this one: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/dimply-plum-cake/. You can cook them down into a compote. You can spear them out of the jars and eat them standing over the sink. They are versatile and delicious!
20. Marisa added these pithy words on
Sep 11 09 at
12:11 pm
Oh wow I got the blackberry jam today (hand delivered by Marisa’s lovely hubby-to-be)! I think the jam and I are going to be spending some quality time together tonight. THANKS!!
21. Linus added these pithy words on
Sep 11 09 at
7:19 pm
Adrienne, the same thing happened to me. I made these last night, and the jars were all full when I took them out of the water bath. I peeked at the jars this morning, and the water level in all of them is one to two inches below the rim of the jar. They were sputtering a little last night, but I thought that was normal, so I didn’t worry to much. This is mt first canning experience:
1. What did I do wrong?
2. Can I refrigerate the fruit, or is this a total loss?Thank you.
22. Chelsea added these pithy words on
Sep 13 09 at
11:05 am
I just came across a friend with an Italian Prune Plum tree. Do you know if these are good for jam as well? They don’t seem quite as tangy and flavorful as other plums, but maybe it’s different when they’re jammed (they seem good baked). The whole lack-of-bursting makes me think they probably have pretty sturdy skins, which I worry would be bothersome in jam…
23. Deena added these pithy words on
Sep 13 09 at
12:21 pm
I love this idea. What are your thoughts on using the same honey syrup with apricots?
25. Emma added these pithy words on
Sep 15 09 at
7:59 pm
I finally found time to make these, and they look kinda spooky but good. The liquid is dark and the plums themselves look light, and they’re floating at the top of the jars. Is that normal?
Of course now that they’re preserved, I don’t want to open them right away to see how they taste. Rats, should have done a tiny jar with just one so I could sample that one. Lesson learned, I’ll do that in the future!
And I’ll also buy smaller jars and do smaller fruit in future – I had to borrow an immense pot to fit the one big quart jar I bought. The other jar I bought was a bit smaller – it held just three plums instead of six. I guess my fruit was bigger than yours, because I don’t seem to have fit as many in!
But I’m so glad to have found a place here (China) to buy canning jars. Expensive but worth it. Hm, what to can next…?
26. MissJubilee added these pithy words on
Oct 02 09 at
9:43 pm
MissJubilee, my plums lightened too and are floating a bit, I don’t really think it’s a problem. I’m chocking it up to the plums releasing their liquid and shrinking a little, so while they were tightly packed before, they are now looser with more liquid to bob around in.
My skins also split, and I did pierce every plum all over, so I guess it doesn’t work very well
27. Lauren added these pithy words on
Oct 04 09 at
10:05 am
Oh goodness – these are so delicious. I did five jars (!) of them in the fall. I struggled to find a way to use the leftover syrup (sweetening cocktails, topping oatmeal or yogurt), but couldn’t keep up. Then the other day I had the idea to use up some gelatin leftover from a baking project to make some plum-honey-cinnamon jello. Yum yum!
30. Kelly added these pithy words on
Mar 23 10 at
7:24 pm
This looks like a great recipe. I almost want to throw a tempertantrum because I didn’t check this website first before I made the worst plum jam ever. I had about 10 pounds of cherry sized plums and this, I’m sure, would have been the perfect choice on how to preserve them. Live and learn! Sigh!!
I do have a question for you if you have time. You mentioned that it will spit syrup out and make the jars sticky but that it will still last a year. I processed my jam jars and they sealed but one sometimes there is jam on the outside of the jar under the ring. Are these still good or should I somehow reprocess them?
Thanks for all of your time building this website. You’ve done a fantastic job! It is quickly becoming my favorite!!!
32. Abby added these pithy words on
Jun 09 10 at
10:44 am
