Month: June 2024

There are two images--one of fresh plums and another of jars filled with jelly. The words read, "Low sugar plum jelly."

Canning Low Sugar Plum Jelly

This low sugar plum jelly is a perfect mix of tart and sweet! It’s super easy (and fast) to make using a steam juicer!

How Much Fruit Do I Need?

One thing that always frustrates me about canning recipes is trying to figure out how much fruit I need. But that’s where this recipe really shines! You need as much fruit as you have or want to get! The necessary pectin, calcium water, sugar, and lemon juice is added per cup of juice, so it doesn’t matter if you have 2 cups or 20 cups of juice, you can still use this recipe!

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Supplies to Make Plum Jelly

To make this plum jelly, you need jars, clean, new lids, and bands! If haven’t read my post about my favorite canning supplies, I recommend taking a look for items that will make canning this recipe easier!

You also need Pomona’s Universal Pectin for this recipe, which is formulated specifically for low- or no-sugar canning recipes. Since I use Pomona’s quite often, I purchase the pectin powder in bulk. You can find it available in bulk here.

A steam juicer makes this project so much faster, and I absolutely love mine! If you plan on making much juice and/or jelly, a steam juicer is definitely worth the investment.

I also highly recommend purchasing either a steam canner or the Ball freshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner and Multi-Cooker, if you are interested in another way to save stovetop space or if you have a glass stovetop and don’t want to put a heavy canner on top of it. I use it exclusively for anything I water bath can. The best feature of this canner is that it can easily hold 12-14 half-pint jars! For this particular recipe, I was able to make 11 half-pint jars and 7 quarter-pint jars of plum jelly by stacking my jars!

YouTube Video

Plum Jelly Recipe

Recipe created using Pomona’s Pectin Create Your Own Recipe.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. First, clean and remove stems from plums.
  2. Put plums in strainer pot of steam juicer and fill bottom pot with water.
  3. Heat steam juicer until water is simmering.
  4. Simmer and add water, if needed, until juice from the plums gets lighter.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Add plum juice, lemon juice, and calcium water to a large stock pot.
  7. Heat over high heat until boiling.
  8. While waiting for juice to boil, mix sugar and Pomona’s Pectin. Set aside.
  9. Once juice is boiling, slowly add sugar and pectin mixture, whisking or stirring constantly to prevent the pectin from clumping.
  10. Bring mixture back up to boiling. Then, remove from heat.
  11. Carefully skim foam off of your jelly, if any formed.
  12. Store jelly in refrigerator or continue with canning instructions.

    13. Canning Instructions

  13. Fill clean, warm jars with jelly, making sure to leave 1/4-inch headspace.
  14. Clean jar rim off to ensure no jelly is on it.
  15. Put a clean lid on and screw on band until fingertip tight.
  16. Put in water bath canner.
  17. Fill remaining jars until jelly is gone.
  18. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
  19. Remove jars and set on towel or wooden cutting board to cool for 12-24 hours.
  20. Remove bands and check seals. If any jars failed to seal, store in refrigerator and use first.
  21. Wash jars and store without bands on.
Two images - one of a girl removing a jar from a pressure canner and another picture of broth in Mason jars. Words say: Make and Can Beef Bone Broth

Making and Canning Bone Broth

Bone broth is a great way to ensure nothing goes to waste in your kitchen and, as a bonus, it’s delicious and nutritious too! Bone broth might take some time to develop that delicious, rich flavor, but its mostly hands-off time!

Waste-Free Bone Broth

Making bone broth gives you a way to use bones and veggie scraps that would otherwise be thrown away. You can use bones from the butcher, leftover from a meal, or from a rotisserie chicken!

Sam’s and Costco have $5 rotisserie chickens, and we’ll often pick one up when we’re running errands. I put the bones in a reusable freezer bag and store them in the freezer until I have enough to make broth.

For veggie scraps, I save carrot peels and tops, onion tops, bell pepper cores, and celery stalk leaves! I also store these in the freezer until I’m ready to make broth.

Bone Broth Recipe Steps

1. Roast the bones and vegetable scraps.

First, you need to roast the bones and vegetable scraps. Just put your bones and veggie scraps in a single layer on a baking tray(s) and roast at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour, turning the bones over halfway through.

You can technically skip this step, but I highly recommend taking the time to roast the bones and veggie scraps! Roasting browns the bones, which is called the Maillard reaction. I’m no scientist, but Google says this reaction “transforms proteins and sugars into complex flavors, aromas, and colors when heat and moisture are applied.”

2. Put the roasted bones and scraps in a pot to simmer.

You can use a slow cooker, a pot on the stovetop, an Instant Pot, or, my personal favorite, an electric roaster! Cover the bones and veggie scraps with water, add in 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar, and any aromatics you want. I usually keep it simple and only add some bay leaves and whole peppercorns.

3. Simmer as long as you want!

I love letting my broth simmer over a day. It smells delicious and I know it’s just making the final product richer and more nutritious the longer it goes!

4. Let cool slightly, then remove bones and strain the broth.

Take your broth off of the heat and leave uncovered for 1-2 hours to cool. Then, remove bones and strain the broth.

5. Cool in the refrigerator overnight or until fat solidifies on top.

Cool the broth in the refrigerator overnight or until the fat solidifies on top. Even if you can palate consuming this fat, you definitely do not want to skip this step if you’re planning on canning or freezing your broth! The fat can go rancid faster than the broth, even in the freezer, and, when canning, the lids can fail to seal if any of that fat gets under the seal.

6. Remove fat from top of broth.

Once the broth has cooled and the fat has solidified on top, remove the fat. I use a slotted spoon to scoop out the large chunks of fat and a small, fine mesh strainer to skim the little pieces of fat off the top.

7. Consume, freeze, or reheat if you’re canning the broth.

At this point, you can either drink the broth or use it to cook with. You can also freeze the broth if you have the freezer space, or reheat the broth if you’re planning on canning it!

Canning Bone Broth

If you want to can the delicious bone broth you just made to consume later, you must pressure can it. Water bath canning is reserved only for acidic foods, like most jams, jellies, and pickles, and it is not safe to water bath can non-acidic foods. I will include canning instructions below. Check out my must-have canning supplies post here!

Recipe Video

Making and Canning Bone Broth

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Arrange bones and vegetable scraps in a single layer on a baking tray(s).
  3. Roast in preheated oven for one hour, turning halfway through.
  4. Once bones have browned and vegetables smell aromatic, put into a stock pot, slow cooker, or electric roaster.
  5. Simmer for 24-36 hours.
  6. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  7. Once cooled slightly, remove bones and strain the broth.
  8. Set in refrigerator overnight or until fat solidifies on top.
  9. Once the broth has cooled and the fat has solidified on top, remove the fat using a slotted spoon to scoop out the large chunks of fat and a small, fine mesh strainer to skim the little pieces of fat off the top.
  10. Consume, freeze, or reheat if you’re canning the broth.

Canning Instructions

  1. Reheat broth to boiling.
  2. While broth is reheating, prepare pressure canner according to instructions that came with your canner.
  3. Once broth is boiling, fill pint- or quart-sized jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.
  4. Apply a new, clean lid and a band fingertip tight.
  5. Put jar in canner.
  6. Once jars are filled and in the canner, put the lid on and process according to the instructions that came with your canner.
  7. Once pressure canner comes up to pressure, process 20 minutes for pints or 25 for quarts at 10 pounds PSI if you live at 1,000 feet or less above sea level or 15 pounds PSI if you live above 1,000 feet above sea level. For dial-gauge pressure canners, follow these instructions.