Sandhill plums are wild plums that grow along the sides of the road in out-of-the way places. These little red gems have been turned into jelly for many years by homemakers in the central United States.
Earlier in the year, I noticed how beautifully the sandhill plums were blooming. When I went out scavenging this past weekend, I was not disappointed!
Where I grew up, these little red treasures that grow alongside the road in thickets and are free for the taking (try to avoid those near fields that have been sprayed with chemicals) are called sandhill plums, but other places I’ve lived have simply called them wild plums.
There are many, many varieties. Some small and quite tart, others large and almost sweet. All of them need a tremendous amount of sugar to make them into jelly. (consider that your warning…)
Here’s a run down of how the plums got from the thicket to my pantry…
Watch the video of the sandhill plum jelly canning process >>
1. We picked 2 gallons of plums. This requires you to get past the fact that sandhill plums are thorny and grow where the grass is tall.
2. I laid them out on the counter for about 2 days to let the almost ripe ones ripen fully. This requires you to get past the fact that small children are naturally attracted to the color red and sandhill plums are naturally sour which causes small children to take one bite and spit them out…on the floor.
3. I washed them, de-stemmed them, and cooked them down in a large stock pot. This takes about an hour. You don’t need to pit them beforehand. That is taken care of in the next step…
*Note: Depending on how thick you like your jelly, you may or may not want to add water as you cook them down. It also depends on the year and whether or not the plums themselves are fat and juicy.
4. I ladled the cooked-down berries into a metal food mill and separated the seeds from the juice and pulp. Most canning strainers look like this one or this one.
The 2 gallons of plums yielded just at 6 cups of pulp.
5. Put the pulp in the refrigerator until you can find the time to make jelly. Ok, so this isn’t a necessary step; however, I wanted you to know you CAN save it for later. You can even freeze it for later. Don’t feel like you have to carve out a whole day to make sandhill plum jelly. It can be done in bits and pieces. In fact, my plum jelly making process usually takes around 3 days to complete. I just don’t have the time to do it all in one day.
6. Put the pulp in a large stockpot and add 6 TBSP (equiv of one box) of pectin. (I buy pectin in bulk.) Stir this in well. Use a whisk if you have to.
7. Get your sugar ready – 8 cups to be exact. This step is the hardest for me to remember; however, you have to add your sugar all at once, so measure it out into a bowl beforehand so you can just dump the bowl in when it’s time. And remember, this 8 cups of sugar is for 6 cups of pulp. Adjust accordingly.
8. Get pulp and pectin to a rolling boiling and then add the sugar. Once again, stir well, then bring it back to a boil.
9. Boil another 4 minutes, stirring constantly. It will scorch if you don’t!
10. Scrap off the foam. I take a metal spoon and gently glide it over the surface of the jelly. This scrapes off the foam so you can see the pretty jelly beneath. The foam goes into a bowl from which the entire family takes finger-fulls the rest of the day.
11. Ladle jelly (using a canning funnel) into the jelly jars, leaving 1/2″ headspace at the top. Prior to making jelly, I wash up my jars and lids (this recipe took 9 jelly jars which are 8 oz each) in hot, soapy water. I dry them and put them on a cookie sheet in the oven on warm. When it is time to fill the jars I just pull out the cookie sheet. If you have a dishwasher, use it to sanitize and dry your jars.
12. Add lids and rings and screw on finger-tight. Now, at some point here, you need to start your water bath to process the jars; however, I only have one big burner, so that is a trick considering I need that burner to boil the jelly. Once you have a rolling boil in your canner…
13. Add jars to water bath canner and process 6 minutes. Getting the water height right is quite a trick, so overdo it rather than underdo it when you fill your canner with water. Also, make sure you have one of those handy jar lifters. It grabs just below the lids and makes pulling the jars from the water so much easier.
14. Set jars out on counter to cool and listen for lid popping. The lids popping is music to my ears! It means the jars are sealed and can stay on the shelves safely.
And now, these lovely jars reside in my pantry just waiting to be pried open and eaten or given away as gifts! Yum!
Michelle G says
Amy,
Is there a location here where I can find these? I’d love to take my oldest daughter and go pick some!
Hope your having a blessed day!
Michelle
Shane says
If you are missing sand plums in your area, we have plenty. We have started a pre order list and it is filling up fast. If you have any interest contact us at 405-882-4879
http://www.riversidesandplums.com
Thanks
S.
Heide says
Hi Amy!
We were in your “Uncle Ron’s” neighborhood end of last week and my family had fun picking a few of these beautiful roadside beauties too! My honey decided (last night) to make them into fruit topping for our toast…..he did a good job, but it took a lot of experimenting and he considered throwing the whole pot out at one point…:0)
I miss the jelly from my childhood, but am looking forward to making it again. (We are in the process of moving…..sigh. Lots of work as we have tooooo much stuff!)
Have a blessed day!
Heide
Amy says
Moving is so daunting, but so exciting too! Let me know when you are settled in!
Kate says
Sounds fun, but that is a LOT of sugar!! I am in the process of canning some relish and peaches now and am hoping to avoid sugar! At least mostly. So many home-canned foods have a TON in them!
Amy says
You are right, it is a ton of sugar!
GraceWheeler says
Oh, I just LOVE the finished product of seeing the cans all stacked and pretty, filled to the brim! Good job Amy! They are beautiful and I’m sure they taste amazing!
ali @ an ordinary mom says
I’ve never even heard of sandhill plums- but your jelly sure looks yummy!
Dustin says
Our forestry department sells sand hill plum (shrubs). So I went searching out more information on them and found this page. After reading your page on making jelly with them I think I will order them. It’s really a great deal. You get 25 bare root plants for $17 plus shipping. The fact that they have thorns is a plus, I think I will plant them around my house, like under the windows. Anyone who may be wanting to buy some may check with your states forestry department, I’m not sure if the Kansas Forest Department ships them out of state.
Like others I was amazed at the amount of sugar that is used. So I thought that maybe the sugar could be replaced with honey. Honey is sweeter than sugar so less would need to be used. It is also healthier for you than processed sugar. I was wonder what every ones thoughts on this change might be.
Amy says
Thanks for that information! I have never canned with honey, so I wouldn’t know the answer to that, but if you try it, please come back and let my readers know how it turned out!
Dustin says
I almost forgot. Nice write up Amy.
Debbie says
I’m just getting ready to pick our first sandhill plums on our property! It was nice to see a familiar site on my google search for how to do this. Your post has me mentally prepared for the biggest challenge — keeping my four kids from eating the ripening berries!!
Amy says
Your kids won’t eat more than one without it being jellied, trust me. 😉
Vera says
Can I freeze sand plums straight from the tree so I can make jelly later?
Amy says
I’ve never tried this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Sue Ellen McGoey says
Just the recipe I needed as going picking tomorrow thank you!
Amy says
My husband is going to picking tomorrow too!