Damson Plum Preserves

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Damson Plums
• 3 cup Water
• 4 cup Sugar

Directions

Damson plums bring me back to my grandmother's house where I used to pick them and help make preserves.  These small slightly sour plums are hard to find these days but make for a special treat!

Pre Prep for Jars

1. First, sanitize your jars by hand washing, boiling for 10 minutes, then keeping them in the hot water until you're ready to use them.
2. Repeat for the lids, but keep them in hot, not boiling, water. 
3. In a separate canning pot, start boiling enough water to cover the jars (this could take a while, so start your water right away).

Making Preserves

1. Wash and pick over plums, removing stems.
2. Add plums to boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes until soft.
3. When cool, remove pits from plums and return to pot.
4. Add sugar and boil for about 20 minutes until consistency becomes thick and "jammy".

Canning

1. Quickly remove jars from the hot water with the Weston® Canning Tongs.  
2. Pour the jam into the jars.
3. Using a Weston® Magnetic Lid Lifter, remove a lid and ring from the hot water and place over the jar.
4. Secure the ring with a Weston® Jar Wrench. 
5. Using the Weston® Jar Lifter, drop the jam-filled jars into the boiling water, making sure that they are completely surrounded by water. A canning rack helps to keep the jars off of the bottom of the canning pot so that the boiling water can reach the bottom of the jar as well.
6. After five minutes, check the lids to make sure they're sealed (the button on the lid will be popped down), and if so, remove the jars from the water with the Jar Lifter.
7. Let the jars cool, remove the securing ring, and store your jam in a cool, dark, dry place for up to a year. ( if you can wait that long!).