Sandplum Jelly

For the sandplum juice:
Place the well-washed and picked over sandplums into a large pot and add the water. Over medium heat bring to a boil and allow plums to simmer until plums pop and “mush” and you no longer see any whole plums. Strain juice into a bowl through a sieve (lined with a cheesecloth if so desired).

For the jelly:
Sterilize the half pint jars according to standard canning procedures.

Measure sandplum juice and pour into a big pot. Mix in real fruit pectin. In a separate bowl measure sugar. Do not add sugar to the juice yet.

Bring juice and pectin mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat while stirring. Add sugar all at once and return to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Ladle hot jam into hot sterilized jars, cover with lids and screw on bands. Process the jars in a water bath according to standard canning procedures for 5 minutes. Remove them from the water bath and set on the counter to cool. Check seals after 24 hours. Store any that didn’t seal properly in the refrigerator.