Plum trees turned out enough plums in this first season to make three pints and one quart of jam. Here is a bowl of the pitted bounty:

The trees yielded 6 cups of fruit once I pitted the plums. I added 1.25 cups of water,  4 cups of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of powdered pectin to the mix, plus a teaspoon of citric acid to up the tartness.

Then set it on the stove to boil.

While boiling the fruit, I boiled the jars and lids. When the fruit was boiled down to the right thickness, I jarred those babies and put them in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Let them cool for a few, and voila – jars of plum jam.

I have the Ball canning recipe book, which I follow loosely. It’s a decent reference to have as a starting point for your own experimentation.