Honeyed Plum-Cardamom Jelly

Makes 4-5 cups

Season: Summer

Allison Carroll Duffy for Pomona's Pectin

This recipe is excerpted from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy (Fair Winds Press, June 2013). Carroll Duffy says this gorgeous, deep-purple jelly is "laced with the subtle, quietly complex flavor of cardamom...a sophisticated accompaniment to scones at breakfast or afternoon tea.”

Before You Begin:
Prepare calcium water. To do this, combine 1/2 teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with 1/2 cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water may be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds ripe, sweet plums
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 5 teaspoons calcium water
• 1 cup honey
• 5 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

Directions:

1. Wash your jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring canner to a rolling boil, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize them. (Add 1 extra minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.) Reduce heat and allow jars to remain in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan, heat to a low simmer, and hold until ready to use.
2. Rinse, remove pits, and quarter plums, and then combine in a saucepan with the 1 1/4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 7 to 15 minutes, or until fruit is soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and mash plums.
3. Transfer mashed fruit to a damp jelly bag or layered cheesecloth, suspend over a bowl, and allow juice to drip until dripping stops—at least 2 hours. Discard fruit pulp or save for another use.
4. Measure 4 cups of the fruit juice and combine in a saucepan with cardamom, lemon juice, and calcium water.
5. In a separate bowl, combine honey and pectin powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
6. Bring fruit juice to a full boil over high heat, and then slowly add pectin-honey mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve pectin while the jelly comes back up to a boil. Once the jelly returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
7. Can Your Jelly: Remove jars from canner and ladle jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, put on lids and screw bands, and tighten to fingertip tight. Lower filled jars into canner, ensuring jars are not touching each other and are covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Place lid on canner, return to a rolling boil, and process for 10 minutes. (Add 1 extra minute of processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level). Turn off heat and allow canner to sit untouched for 5 minutes, then remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly.

Keywords: stone fruit, canning, food preservation