Plums and 'what they're good for'

The sweet smell of plums was wafting around the house early today, signaling that I'd better get them used before they were too far gone.  After washing (no need to remove spots, just take out spoiled or overly ripe fruit), I divided the plums into three pans and just covered them with water.  Next, I boiled the fruit until it was soft and the juices were released. 

Mashing before they'd been softened proved to be a big mess and resulted in me having to change shirts.  So I decided to wait for the skins to split ... that went much better.  After the mashing, I simmered the plums for a bit longer just to make sure all the juice was released.

Below is my straining system; I've used this since my first year of marriage.  It's slow, because it only handles a small amount at a time, but it works.  I remember by mom used to put the whole amount of fruit (especially chokecherries) in a pillowcase and let it drip overnight.

Below is the first 8 cups of juice.  I ended up getting 23 cups of juice from the plums!

I chose to save the first 8 cups to make into jelly or syrup later.  The juice will keep in the refrigerator for quite a while.

I made low-sugar jelly with the second 8 cups, using Pamona's Pectin.  Obviously, it's not as sweet, but it's healthier.  I chose to water bath can all the jars to ensure they sealed (and will keep longer).

The end result was 7 pints of plum jelly.

From the last 7 cups of plum juice, I prepared plum syrup.  The recipe is simple ... for every 2 cups of juice, add 1 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. almond extract.  Boil for 15 minutes, and ladle into jars.  You can use the syrup immediately (refrigerate extra), or process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes to seal the jars.  It turned out beautiful in color and has a great tangy taste with a hint of almond.