Do you know where there’s a wild plum tree growing nearby but you just haven’t been able to come up with a way to use the plums? This beautiful wild plum jelly is a tart, delicious spread you can use all winter long to remind you of the beautiful summer evenings.
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I am always looking for ways to forage and eat off the land. If Mother Nature decides to do the work instead of me, it’s a definite win in my book!
Table of Contents
- How do you identify wild plums?
- Are wild plums edible?
- Are wild plums good for you?
- When are wild plums ripe?
- Do you have to pit the plums for wild plum jelly?
- What is the difference between jam and jelly?
- What is pectin?
- Get what you need for this recipe:
- Find some more wild plum recipes:
- Don’t forget to save it for later!
- How to make wild plum jelly:
- More Jelly and Jam Recipes:
- Ready to start your own homestead?
How do you identify wild plums?
The Tree Husker over in Youtube land has a great video on how to identify plum trees. If you are familiar with identifying trees, you’ll notice they have many similarities to black and choke cherry trees. The best indicator you’ve found a plum tree is the presence of bright coral and deep red colored plums!
Wild Plums in Wisconsin
According to the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, the wild plum tree growing in Wisconsin can be classified as Prunus Americana Marshall. The graphic below from UWGB shows the known locations of these wild plum trees throughout Wisconsin. They can often be found growing under powerlines along roads or along field edges.
Wild plum tree distribution throughout the state of Wisconsin (photo credit: UW-Green Bay)
Are wild plums edible?
To humans, yes. The flesh of the fruit is often tart but sweet, however, the skin/peel is extremely sour and sometimes bitter. They are oftentimes eaten cooked as jelly or baked into tarts for this reason.
And while wild plums can be a delicious addition to your diet, they can be deadly to your livestock. Wild plum trees (as well as wild cherry and wild peach trees) are deadly to animals you may have living on your homestead. The seeds within the berries contain cyanide which can poison livestock, specifically ruminants, within 15 minutes. It’s best to avoid planting wild plum trees or wild cherry trees near your pastures to avoid any catastrophes and losses.
Are wild plums good for you?
Wild plums are packed with health benefits. They contain and help convert Vitamin A in the body, which is a helpful vitamin for skin, eyes, and nails. Additionally, wild plums are also a good source of potassium, which is vital for the regulation of your heartbeat and for helping to process carbohydrates. Wild plums can also be used as a natural medicine to work as a mild laxative.
When are wild plums ripe?
Wild plums often ripen in late summer time, around the same time as the apples here in Wisconsin. We are able to begin the harvesting process for wild plums in early September and continue harvesting throughout the month.
The best way to know that plums are ready to be harvested is when you start to see them on the ground. They’ll be a dark coral color and the flesh will be sweet and soft. If it is hard and a peachy orange color, it’s best to wait a bit longer before harvesting.
Do you have to pit the plums for wild plum jelly?
No pitting or peeling required for this wild plum jelly recipe ! That’s the beauty of a jelly recipe. Because you’re only using the juice to make the jelly, you won’t need to go through the tedious steps of pitting and peeling each individual tiny plum. Thank goodness!
What is the difference between jam and jelly?
The difference between jelly and jam is that jelly does not have fruit chunks in it. Jams contain whole or partial pieces of fruit in them and are chunky, while jellies are smooth and gelled.
What is pectin?
I go into a greater length about pectin here in this post for Apple Scrap Jelly, but basically pectin is a natural thickening agent found in fruits and vegetables.
Get what you need for this recipe:
Find some more wild plum recipes:
Looking for even more? Check out these other wild plum recipes.
Don’t forget to save it for later!
How to make wild plum jelly:
- Add all of your plums to a large pot (pits and all!), with just a little water to cover the bottom of the pot. Cook on low heat, stirring throughout, until plums form a juice and begin to crack open.
- Use a potato masher to smash the plums.
- Strain the plums using a very small holed strainer or a cheese cloth into a pot. You’ll want to make sure all of the juice has a chance to strain out from the pulp, so be sure to give it a little time before you move onto the next step.
- Measure the amount of juice you have to the nearest cup. If you must round, round down to the nearest cup instead of up.
- For every 1 cup of juice, you can add 3/4 cup-1 1/2 cups of sugar, depending on sweetness of plums and/or preference. We wanted a tart jelly, so we used 3/4 cup of sugar per 1 cup of juice. Do not add less sugar than 3/4 cup per 1 cup of juice.
- Bring the sugar and juice mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. You’ll want to heat the juice until it reaches the gelling point of 220 degrees. You can also check its readiness by performing the spoon test (learn all about how to know when jelly is ready in my apple scrap jelly recipe here)– place the jelly on a metal spoon and put it in the freezer for 1 minute. If it is “set” when it comes out, it should be good to go. I like to use both methods to test the jelly; you don’t want to go through all of the work of it to not have good jelly! If for some reason though it doesn’t set, you can always use it as a syrup for ice cream!
- Pour hot plum juice into sterilized jelly jars. Process in a waterbath canner for 10 minutes.
How to Make Wild Plum Jelly Without Pectin
Create a delicious, sweet-yet-tart jelly using your foraged wild plums.
If you tried this recipe out and loved it, please come back and give it 5 stars.
Ingredients
- Wild plums
- Sugar
Instructions
- Add all of your plums to a large pot (pits and all!), with just a little water to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Cook on low heat, stirring throughout, until plums form a juice and begin to crack open.
- Use a potato masher to smash the plums.
- Strain the plums using a very small holed strainer or a cheese cloth into a pot. Allow the juice to continue to drip from the plum pulp for at least 30 minutes.
- Measure the amount of juice you have.
- For every 1 cup of juice, you can add 3/4 cup-1 1/2 cups of sugar, depending on sweetness of plums and/or preference. We wanted a tart jelly, so we used 3/4 cup of sugar per 1 cup of juice.
- Bring the sugar and juice mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. You'll want to heat the juice until it reaches the gelling point of 220 degrees. You can also check its readiness by performing the spoon test- place the jelly on a metal spoon and put it in the freezer for 1 minute. If it is "set" when it comes out, it should be good to go. I like to use both methods to test the jelly; you don't want to go through all of the work of it to not have good jelly! If for some reason though it doesn't set, you can always use it as a syrup for ice cream!
- Pour hot plum juice into sterilized jelly jars. Process in a waterbath canner for 10 minutes.
Notes
The safest preservation technique is to freeze the jelly. Please be sure to research safe canning practicing prior to making this at home.
During the cooking process, the juice will lose a significant amount of volume.
More Jelly and Jam Recipes:
Ready to start your own homestead?
Check out this post here on how to get started with your own homestead, beginning with the proper mindset.
Is it ok to do the first step of this recipe, refrigerate the juice and then the next day make the jelly?
I’ve never tried it that way, but I would think it would work! Let me know how it goes for you if you try it!
Hello, Sadie;
I live in Northern Indiana, and the wild plums I have on my small property produce small (1/2″) round fruit. I do not know the precise variety, but the fruit are ripe right now (July 4) and have been ripening for a couple of weeks.
The bushes have been there for several years, but I didn’t really notice them until I cleared away a large patch of Bush Honeysuckle! I noticed that they had small fruit on them, and when they were a dark red I tried a few: They are delicious! I have eaten them whole, and the skins do not appear to be bitter, as you describe the wild plums you used for this recipe.
I like to make my own “country wines,” but I didn’t have enough for that, so thought I would make some jelly so I can taste the beautiful flavor in the Winter months when the breakfast table can feel a little drab…
I hadn’t made jam or jelly since I helped my Mom make the beautiful grape jelly that I loved when I was a child.
Your instructions are excellent, and it was easy for me to follow them. I used items that were already in my kitchen, and had no trouble.
I have only one small suggestion to improve your instructions for newbies like myself, and that is to mention that the juice, during the cooking process, will lose a significant amount of volume. (Things worked out for me; I simply omitted the tiny jar that I had planned to fill at the end, but I foolishly was surprised.)
Thank you for making this excellent recipe available. You have a style which is both kind and “No Nonsense” at once, and I appreciate it.
Blessings to you, and I hope you will have a bountiful Summer.
Thomas Meek
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Thank you so much for your comment, Thomas! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. And thanks for the tip, I’ll put that in there! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!