What you need: Makes about 4 to 5 cups
4 cups ripe plums
2 tsp lemon juice
4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
1/2 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
1/2 pouch Pectin - about 2 tsp
4-8oz jars and lids
Wash the jars with soapy water and rinse in warm water.
In a large hollow container, boil water, and immerse all the jars and lids to simmer.
Wash plums seed them. Cut the fleshy fruit into chunks of desired size. I used thick slices. Pour them into a large sauce pot. Let it cook for about 5 to 7 minutes on medium high until them become soft and pulpy. Add the lemon juice and crush them down lightly or thoroughly as you would like to have.
Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves and begins to a rolling boil. Boiling that will not stop when stirred. At this point, the fruit puree should be foaming. Add in the butter. This will bring down the foam. If you have any more foam left, skim it off with a ladle.
Mix pectin into a little cup and pour in a few teaspoons of cold water to completely dissolve it. Pour it into the boiling jam and let it boil for a good minute.
Remove the warm glass jars from the water bath and pour jam with the help of a funnel. Leave about 1/8th of an inch from the lid line. Cover all the jars with lids and tighten them. Clean them with a damp cloth and return them into a water bath. This time the water around the filled jars must be 2 to 3 inches. Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove and store them in a cool place. The lids will begin to pop, ensuring they are vacuum sealed. This process of lid popping will go on for about 24 hours. If they do not pop, they may need to be refrigerated to preserve freshness. Enjoy!