Michigan Fresh: Using, Storing, and Preserving Plums (HNI114)
DOWNLOAD FILEOctober 8, 2014 - Author: Laurie Messing
Recommended varieties
Early Magic, Early Golden, Methley, Shiro, Vibrant, Vanette, Santa Rosa, Starking Delicious, Ozark Premier, Burbank, Redheart, Rubyqueen, Castleton, NY6, Fortune, Early Italian, Stanley, Lydecker, Simka, Valor, N9, Bluefre, Long John, Autumn Sweet, Blue Damson, Italian, Tulare Giant, Empress, Alderman.
Storage and food safety
- Purchase fruits that are not bruised or damaged.
- Wash hands before and after handling fresh produce.
- Keep away from raw meat and meat juices to prevent cross-contamination.
- For best quality and to preserve nutrients, preserve no more than your family can consume in one year.
Yield
- 14 pounds per 7-quart canner load
- 9 pounds per 9-pint canner load
- 1 bushel is 56 pounds -- 22 to 36 quarts, average of 2 pounds per quart
How to Preserve
Canning
Quality: Select deep-colored, mature fruit of ideal quality for eating fresh or cooking. Plums may be packed in water or syrup. Stem and wash plums. To can whole, prick skins on two sides of plums with a fork to prevent splitting. Freestone varieties may be halved and pitted. If you use syrup, prepare very light, light or medium syrup.
Syrups for Use in Canning Fruits
|
Type of Syrup |
Percent Sugar* |
Cups of Sugar** Per Quart Liquid |
Yield of Syrup in Cups |
How Syrup is Used Commercially |
|
Very light |
10% |
½ |
4 ½ |
|
|
Light |
20% |
1 |
4 ¾ |
Very sweet fruit |
|
Medium |
30% |
1 ¾ |
5 |
Sweet apples, sweet cherries, berries, grapes |
|
Heavy |
40% |
2 ¾ |
5 1/3 |
Tart apples, apricots, sour cherries, gooseberries, nectarines, pears, peaches, plums |
|
Very Heavy |
50% |
4 |
6 |
Very sour fruit |
*Approximate
**In general, up to one-half of the sugar may be replaced by corn syrup or mild-flavored honey. A larger proportion of corn syrup may be used if a very bland, light-colored type is selected.
Hot pack – Add plums to water or hot syrup and boil 2 minutes. Cover saucepan and let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Fill jars with hot plums and cooking liquid or syrup, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Raw pack – Fill jars with raw plums, packing firmly. Add hot water or syrup, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Table 1. Recommended process time for plums, halved or whole, in a boiling-water canner.
| Process time (in minutes) at altitudes of | |||||
| Style of pack | Jar size | 0-1,000 ft. | 1,001-3,000 ft. | 3,001-6,000 ft. | Above 6,000 ft. |
| Hot or raw | Pints | 20 | 25 | 30 | 35 |
| Quarts | 25 | 30 | 35 | 40 | |
Table 2. Process times for plums in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
| Canner pressure (PSI) at altitudes of | ||||||
| Style of pack | Jar size | Process time (min.) | 0-2,000 ft. | 2,001-4,000 ft. | 4,001-6,000 ft. | 6,001-8,000 ft. |
| Hot or raw | Pints or Quarts | 10 | 6 lb. | 7 lb. | 8 lb. | 9 lb. |
Table 3. Process times for plums in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
| Canner pressure (PSI) at altitudes of | ||||
| Style of Pack | Jar size | Process time (min.) | 0-1,000 ft. | Above 1,000 ft. |
| Hot or raw | Pints or quarts | 10 | 5 lb. | 10 lb. |
Let jars stand undisturbed for 24 hours, remove rings, wash jars, label, date and store. Food in jars that do not seal must be reprocessed in a clean jar with a new lid or refrigerated.
Freezing
Preparation – Select firm, ripe fruit soft enough to yield to slight pressure. Sort and wash. Leave whole or cut in halves or quarters, and pit.
Syrup pack – Use cold 40 percent to 50 percent syrup, depending on tartness of fruit. For a better quality product, add 1/2 teaspoon (1500 mg) ascorbic acid per quart of syrup. Put plums directly into cold syrup in container, starting with 1/2 cup syrup to a pint container. Press fruit down and add syrup to cover, leaving headspace (amount of headspace varies by type of container). Seal, label, date and freeze.
Plum sauce – Boil well-ripened clingstone plums without water until soft; then remove pits and skins. Continue cooking the pulp and juice until it thickens. Add one part sugar (with spices, if desired) to four parts plums. Cool and package, leaving headspace. Seal, label, date and freeze.
Syrups for Use in Freezing Fruits
|
Type of Syrup |
Percent Syrup * |
Cups of Sugar ** |
Cups of Water |
Yield of Syrup in Cups |
|
Very light |
10% |
½ |
4 |
4 ½ cups |
|
Light |
20% |
1 |
4 |
4 ¾ cups |
|
Medium |
30% |
1 ¾ |
4 |
5 cups |
|
Heavy |
40% |
2 ¾ |
4 |
5 1/3 cups |
|
Very heavy |
50% |
4 |
4 |
6 cups |
*Approximate
**In general, up to one-half of the sugar may be replaced by corn syrup or mild-flavored honey. A larger proportion of corn syrup may be used if a very bland, light-colored type is selected.
References
-
Andress, Elizabeth and Judy A. Harrison. So Easy to Preserve. Bulletin 989, 6th Edition. Cooperative Extension University of Georgia, 2014.
- Michigan Plum Advisory Board: www.michiganplum.com
- National Center for Food Preservation. http://nchfp.uga.edu/
More information
Prepared by: Laurie Messing, MSU Extension educator
