I thought I was schooling someone about growing fruit and veg, and she has an orchard! She sent her daughter with a lot of plums,
and daughter said she heard I was making jelly. I’ve never made plum jelly, but think it makes sense right now. I’ve done sauce and jam, but has any one done plum jelly? The difference for me is accepting some waste to get the flavor intense, the look crystal clear and the right spreadable texture.
Good luck!
Beautiful plums @shrinkrap. Do you happen to know what variety they are? The advice I have for you, as far as clear jelly goes, is to not squeeze the juices out very hard. Hang in a jelly bag, or strain through cheesecloth, and let drain naturally. If you want an intense plum flavor, you can then simmer down to reduce volume. It’s a bit of a trade off, as you can lose some of the fresh taste. Another idea would be to roast the plums until they release some juice, boil that down and add to the roasted, juiced plums. I’d pit them, and whir up in a FP however before straining. Maybe reference Ball Blue Book for preserving or a local extension type web site.
Thank you! Maybe you saw that on my cookbook shelf ! I don’t know the variety, I think she has at least two, and there may be more on the way.
I would just make jam. I like the texture better.
You can also make a clafoutis with plums.
Thank you. When I want to stretch my fruit, I always go with jam or preserves.
On the other hand, when I have enough fruut to spare, I love the way jelly looks in a jar. Of course it should taste as good as it looks.
Don’t actually recall seeing it there @shrinkrap, could be due to the iPad rotating. Was going to go back through, for a more thorough perusal of your books. But please hide that Charmaine Solomon one from me, even virtually. 
I’ve got lots of plum recipes, if needed, please let me know.
Its pretty thin. It would be hard to see. I was sort of kidding.
You’re a sly one, but am beginning to learn how your mind works…lol.
Yeah, def hard to spot, know I’ve had to go on the hunt for mine before.
Maybe some ideas for you?
Plums go well with fatty meats. I like plum mush with duck or fatty cuts of pork.
Back in 1995 (according to my notes), I was given a large bag of plums. I made chutney with it. It’s an even older recipe than that as the weights are still in pounds:
2lb apples
1lb onions
1lb raisins
3lb plums
1 pint malt vinegar
1 tsp nutmeg,
0.5tsp ginger, cayenne, mustard powder
1tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon allspice.
Everything needs chopping finely (and the plums stoned, of course). Everything then simmers till its thick and gloopy - at least a couple of hours. My rule of thumb is that it’s thickened enough when you can draw a spoon across the top and it doesnt immediately fill in with liquid. I store it in Kilner jars in the cupboards where it will happily live for, literally, years - but it does need a good three months to mature. My notes remind me it was particularly good with a pork sandwich.
If you save a few for baking, Bonnie Stern has adapted a recipe for fresh apricot almond coffee cake baked in a springform pan that will work just as well with plums.
I know you want to make plum jelly. 
You might also want to “meet” plum (prune) butter, which is known as lekvar. You would find this as a fruit filling in Slovak and other Central European pastries. On the rare occasion that I spy a jar of the good stuff I make a crostata—non-traditional but easy and oh so good.
Lekvar is usually made with dried plums (prunes) but I’ll bet that fresh fruit would be delicious.
Here’s a Martha Stewart recipe that uses fresh plums though note I have never made this myself. This recipe also introduces some spices, in addition to the basic sugar.
P.S. I still remember a long-gone bakery from when I was a kid that made a pastry called a kolache. The ones filled with lekvar were my fave.
It’s like magic, to put my problem here, and wake up to so many great ideas! Thanks everyone. Plum liquor sounds up my alley, and I KNOW I’m going to try the butter too.
Plum harvest from a few years ago, 2015, I think. Gave sooo many away, utilized the rest. These are Green Gage and we’ve never had a harvest like that in the 28 years the tree has been planted.
My go-to for plums is this Plum Ketchup. Freezes very well. I like to use the deep-colored purple or black plums for this.
