Growing up in Kiowa, Kansas, Grandma Cappy made Sand Plum Jelly. Jars of the clear, ruby-colored jelly were given as gifts, because Sand Plums can only be found once a year and are hard to come by. Sand Plums are small, bright red, and look like super-sized cherries. They grow on thorny bushes that grow in sandy ditches and on sandy banks along the river. Mom and I would pick them, and finding a Sand Plum thicket was a treasure! However, picking them was miserable. They are ripe in June - when it is hot, humid and there are thorns, chiggers and mosquitoes! But anyone who knows Sand Plum Jelly, knows that it is worth it!
I think it is so special to me, because it is family tradition and because it is unique to home. Sand Plums can mostly be found in Kansas and Oklahoma. I purchased my first home in Texas and the first spring, discovered that I had a plum tree in the back yard. After some Googling and photo comparisons, I discovered that I had a Chickasaw Plum tree... which is a variation of the Sand Plums! The plums grow a little larger, but the taste, smell and color is exactly the same! The plum is bitter from the tree, but cooked down with sugar... YUM!
Grandma Cappy died in 1988, but in spirit,
I believe she helped me find my home and my "Sand Plum" tree! ♥
I believe she helped me find my home and my "Sand Plum" tree! ♥
The plums turn bright red when ripe.
Carrying on the family tradition...
Cover the plums with water.
Partially ripe plums mixed with ripe plums are okay.
Cook on low heat in crock pot until the plums crack and have lost their color.
Cover the plums with water.
Partially ripe plums mixed with ripe plums are okay.
Cook on low heat in crock pot until the plums crack and have lost their color.
Scoop out the plums with a slotted spoon and discard.
Pour the juice through a strainer into a pitcher.
Let the juice drip through - do not squeeze bag or cloth.
This will ensure clear jelly.
(I strain twice; first through a wire mesh strainer,
and then again through a jelly cloth.
A metal mesh coffee filter also works well - thanks Bert!)
Store in refrigerator until you are ready to make the jelly.
When you are ready to make jelly, prepare:
In 8-12 qt. Pot:
Juice Mixture:
Place lids and rings on jars and lower into hot water bath.
Voila! Aren't they pretty!?
I have a Peach tree too, but they are not ripe yet,
Pour the juice through a strainer into a pitcher.
Let the juice drip through - do not squeeze bag or cloth.
This will ensure clear jelly.
(I strain twice; first through a wire mesh strainer,
and then again through a jelly cloth.
A metal mesh coffee filter also works well - thanks Bert!)
Store in refrigerator until you are ready to make the jelly.
When you are ready to make jelly, prepare:
Sterilized jelly jars.
Place jar dome lids in boiling water until ready to use.
Boiling water in pressure cooker or large pot for hot water bath.
(I create an assembly line - see photos below)
In 8-12 qt. Pot:
Pour 5 1/2 cups juice.
Add to Juice:
1 teaspoon butter (to prevent foaming)
1 box Sure Jell Pectin
Red food coloring (optional)
Red food coloring (optional)
Juice Mixture:
Bring to a rolling boil (does not stop when stirred)
Quickly add 6 1/2 cups Sugar, stirring nonstop
Bring to a rolling boil again - and boil for 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Ladle into jars.
Skim film/foam off top.
Place lids and rings on jars and lower into hot water bath.
Boil for about 10 minutes.
Remove from water and place on heat-safe surface.
Lids will "pop" as they cool - a sign of success!
Jar Lifter pictured above works great!
I purchase canning supplies at CanningPantry.com
My assembly line...
My assembly line...
Voila! Aren't they pretty!?
I think Grandma Cappy would be proud!!
I have a Peach tree too, but they are not ripe yet,
and the peaches make the best "peach crisp" pie. YUM!
To be continued... ♥
56 comments:
Hi Amy,
I grew up in Mulvane, KS and now live in the Phoenix burbs. I am wondering if I can plant a sand plum tree in my yard. Everything grows here despite the heat. My grandmother also made sand plum jelly and I want to make my own! I had "supplier" for jelly from Winfield, but she stopped making it! I'm even considering make my yearly trip back home around plum harvest time so I can bring them home to make my own jelly. Am I sad or what? I just crave the stuff and everyone who tries it loves it! Thanks, Corina Snyder
Hi Corina. I know where Mulvane is. :) It's nice to meet a fellow Kansan. Sorry for the late reply. I didn't realize I had any comments!! I hope that you get this. The tree that I have in my yard is a Chickasaw Plum Tree... tastes exactly like the sand plum jelly. This year, I added some red food coloring to get more of a pink color. I live in the Dallas suburbs, and we have had draught conditions the past few years. You may be able to grow one, but I am not sure. I'd be happy to send you a jar of my jelly if you would like. You can email me at jhawkindallas@yahoo.com. Best wishes to you!
Just came across this because I found the hugest thicket (I live in KS) and I made jam instead of jelly...then made plum jelly mixed with peppers and jalapenos. We still have the more yellower types of plums in an unripe stage growing right beside the sandhill-reddish type.
I should of followed a recipe, but I pitted them and cooked mine down and pushed them through a tomato strainer thingy, so my jam color is yellow-orange. Tastes good, but i might try your way in a couple weeks...
Thanks for posting about it!
How about sand plum wine, anybody tried that? Kansas cowboy is interested
Thank you for posting your step by step process for making plum jelly. My plums are the small red plums and our tree is LOADED this year. For someone who has NEVER made jelly before your post was a God-send for me! I researched several recipes and when I found yours, my search was over. I have just finished my 4th batch, and my husband LOVES it!
Thanks!! I'll be checking for more of your recipes!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I bought a mesh coffee filter for straining the juice. It works very nicely!
Thanks Bert! Great idea!!
OMG this was the best year for sand plums! My bro in law has at least an acre of sand plums. We've picked twice, only have to shake the branch over a bucket and they fall in. I made jelly for 8 hours straight through and loved every minute. I use 5.5 cups juice to 6.5 cups sugar and one package of pectin. The old timers ALL know what jelly it is when they see the color. Made quart jars for the family men, have given away some and will be making more. And by the way, I live in Mulvane.
I am in Ellsworth, Kansas and we are just now starting to pick sand plums...went out to Kanopolis Lake today and they are EVERYWHERE. All the roadside thickets are starting to ripen as well. It will be a fun week or two picking and canning.
I am so excited, this year has been excellent for fruit. My pantry and freezer are already full, I am getting another freezer this weekend. Apricots are about done, peaches have just started and the apple and pear trees are full.
My kids think I am crazy and are already complaining about picking, but they sure like to eat it once it is home.
We pruned the plum tree this year, and we had lots of plums too. I cooked the plums and strained the juice... and then put it into Ziplock freezer storage bags in the deep freeze. I am waiting until things cool off a bit before I start making the jelly - all the boiling makes my kitchen SO hot! We'll see how it turns out this year. I enjoy your comments!! ♥ I am from Kiowa, by the way. Enjoy your jelly!
Thanks for the clear instructions and pictures. I grew up making jelly with my mother and grandmother, who was from Barber County, KS (Medicine Lodge). But it's been at least 20 years since I've made this, so a refresher was needed! My mom lives near Elm Mills (Barber county, about 15 miles from Medicine Lodge), and as everyone else said, the plums are gorgeous this year. You can see the red plums as you drive down the country roads, they are also sweeter than normal this year. We loaded half a five gallon bucket and canned 10 half pint jars of jelly and 10 butters.
I live south of Wellington, KS and this year has been bumper crops on the fruit. We have picked several buckets of sand plums twice already and when we drive past our bushes it still looks like no one has touched them. I have a freezer full of apricot, plum and sand plum which I normally do into jelly once the weather cools down. I've got to start the jelly making earlier since I no longer have freezer space. I'll be thinking of you'all while I'm busy canning!
Making first batch of jam and there's lots more fruit out there in the patch I'm picking from. I live east of Mulvane and 6 miles east of Winfield.
At my grandmother's house there's a gallon glass jug of what I think is sand plum wine. It's been aging since the 1950's and is pretty wonderful for flavor in a glasss, like sherry.
I loved reading everyones interest in making sand plun jelly. I moved to Wichita a couple of months ago from OK and haven't had any luck finding sand plums. Can someone give me some clues where i might find sand plums and also when are they in season here?
cyn
In response to those looking for sand plums in Kansas:
Drive into the flint hills south and east of Augusta and stay to the higher, dryer areas of the prairie. I've found hundreds of plants growing along the roadsides in thickets absolutely loaded with fruit, and as of today there are plenty that are still ripening. I'm making jelly right now! I never use pectin in my sand plum jelly as I use about 1/3 unripe fruit which are naturally high in pectin.
MMmmmmmmm....
I just ran across this! My Grandma Bernetta Rhodes has made this jelly for years, first in Kiowa, Kansas and now in Cherokee, Oklahoma. We love it also and it has always been something special. I live in Indiana and no one has ever heard of it! It was so fun to read the entries and see that it is also special to others!Missy
Hi Missy! Nice to see someone with connections to Kiowa on here!
I'm from Nevada, but went to college in Norman. My first dorm-mate was from woodward, OK and brought a can of sand plum jelly with him from home. I'd pay $20 a jar to taste that stuff again. It was fantastic! Now I'm in New Zealand, so no chance of getting it here. :-( Thanks for the memory, though.
Hello Anonymous in New Zealand ~ if you happpen to check back here, send me your address and I will mail you a jar for free! :) amylawsontx (at) gmail (dot) com. Great to hear from you!
I would like to know if I can pick them green and let ripen in the Wilson sill
You can pick them green, but you don't have to do anything special to them. They will ripen on their own. I've never had to even put them in a paper sack or anything.
Great post! It reminds me of when I was kid growing up on the farm!
can i freeze them when they ripen till i get ready to can the plums? I also i ha a old cone strainer that sqeezes the plup out and leaves pit and skins, is that more for jam than jelly?
Hi Ladena - I haven't tried freezing the plums whole, but I have frozen the juice until it was cooler and I was ready to start the canning process. I cooked the plums in crock pots and then strained them through cheese cloth. If you include the pulp, it will be more like a jam than a clear jelly. My first year in making the sand plum jelly, I squeezed the plums and used a wire mesh strainer. Bits of pulp ended up in the jelly, and it discolored faster (over time) and developed a slight bitterness. I like the clear, pink jelly best - but that's what I grew up with! ;) Write back and let us know how it goes!
Ladena,
My friend freezes her ripe plums whole every year with no problems. It helps that she can pick plums one weekend, then jelly them up a few weekends later according to our schedules (in a recent tradition, a group of our friends get together and spend the day making jelly -- it is hard to coordinate our schedule and freezing the plums helps :-)
NE Kansas. I have frozen my sand plums before so that I could make jelly later when it wasn't so hot...worked well. Sand plum jelly was always my eldest son's favorite jelly. We've had late frosts the last couple of years so little or no plums but this year we got lucky! Ours will be ready to pick this week & next...looking forward to filling the cupboards with sand plum jelly again!
Okay this is try number three to post this
I'm hoping someone might know where I can find some sand plum trees in NE Oklahoma. I wouldn't be opposed to a road trip either. I'd love to make some of this for my fiancé as I've just about eaten all of his. Thanks.
I am from Harper, Kansas and due to the drought we don't have hardly any sand plums this year. I've had to really hunt to find a gallon of berries. I'd suggest looking near a creek area along the pasture line. Happy hunting!
Try along Kaw Lake east of Washunga bridge. Huge thicket. With our rain this spring we finally have fruit! First batch of jelly is setting up right now. :)
Hi Don here, I am from Independence, Ks and do lots of freezing and canning of sand plums and other fruits. There is an orchard east of Chetopa, Ks that has Sand Plums for sale. I just picked 3 gal. there today and they were great. I have cooked every one down and will make some jam soon. Got 3 gallons of juice and pulp to do the jam. This orchard is amazing and has lots of different fruits. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, apples, pears, and sand plums. Brenda's Berries. She has a blog and website. We have been going there for over 6 years and it is just great. Thought everyone would like to know. Sand Plum jam is the BEST!
Made my first batch of sand plum jelly today. Your instructions were so easy to follow. Thank you!!!!
Can one use this recipe for other type of plums if you cannot find sand plums?
Right now the sand plums are ready for picking! We picked 2 weeks ago,in western Oklahoma, the Gracemont area and the trees are still loaded here, in the central part, near Guthrie. We picked approx.60 lbs in about an hour! We find the best places are "in the country", out in the pasture, sandy places, what am I talking about? They're everywhere around here, if you know what to look for! Haha! We were also lucky enough to find wild black currants! They are a harder pick because they hide under the branches and are so small! Good luck picking and making jelly! I'm making mine today,after boiling my plums last night!
Hello, The Sand Plums are in full SE Kansas for 2014. The trees are loaded and the best quality in years. We backed the pick=up under the trees [4] and shook them well. We ended up with almost a 1/2 pick=up load.
Just got done making sand hill plum jam from your recipe. One of the easiest we have tried! I would just remind everyone to ask before they pick if they are not picking from their own trees. We left one tree yesterday with all the fruit on the lower branches for my nieces to pick from today after church. When we got out there today almost the entire patch had been picked clean.
farmer outside of whitewater, kansas
I'm from SE Kansas near Ft. Scott at my mom and dad's. Mom has a tree my aunt gave her about 25 years ago. No one really knew what kind of tree it was and it has never produced any fruit so we were surprised when we found sand hill plums this year! I have picked them and getting ready to make jelly! Why would it take so many years for it to produce I don't know, but I hope to get a couple of pints from the harvest. Not much I know but it will be worth it, just wish we had a few more trees!
I grew up on farms near Sharon and Nashville, Kansas. Am very familiar with Kiowa and with sand plums. My mother would can quarts of plum butter and jelly. It's still my favorite topping for pancakes. I'm in Pennsylvania now and have never seen them here.
David Watkins
If I'm using low or no sugar added pectin do you know what measurment of sugar i would use in the jelly?
Anonymous -- I have tried a specialty order pectin that was supposed to reduce the amount of sugar used and the jelly did not come out right at all. It might have been the cook! I have not tried the sugar free pectin. Let us know how it turns out.
Thank you to everyone for all of your comments! I've enjoyed reading them and wish I had been back home in Kansas during plum picking time. No plums for me again this year... but my new tree has survived its first year. If anyone knows a spot for picking Chickasaw or "wild red" plums in TX, please let me know!
Once you make the juice, how long can it last in the fridge before you use it to make Jellly?
I kept mine tightly covered in the fridge for at least 2 weeks and it turned out fine! - Amy
Hi! I recently picked wild sand plums (my husband says they are Chickasaw plums) with my in-laws out in West Texas right off of Highway 153 between Coleman and Winters. There were several thickets in the ditch along the highway full of fruit. We picked bucket-loads and they continued to ripen after we brought them home. I'm excited to make jelly and plum butter out of them! BTW, I'm also a Kansas native currently living in Dallas! I grew up in Wichita, but don't remember having had sand plum jelly before. Can't wait to try it!
How long do you have to cook them in the crock pot approximately? My Grandma always made plum jelly and I'm trying my hand at it this year!
Hi Lindy - it depends on how ripe your plums are; a few hours on low. Good luck!
Hi Megan - thank you for posting!! I have not known where to look in TX, so I'm excited to take a road trip next year. I am almost out of jelly! -- Also, I lived in Wichita for 5 years after college (KU) and worked at WSU. 😉
Hi David - small world! I've not tried making plum butter but it sounds like it would be fantastic on pancakes!!
How long should it take for this jelly to set up? It's been in the jars for almost 2 hrs and still syrupy looking.
Anonymous - sorry for the late reply. I have been out of town. I had a batch turn out like that but it thickened as it cooled. It was still moved as you turned the jar, but when opened, it was fine. Make sure to boil it long enough both in the cooking process and in the water bath. Have you already opened and tried some? I hope it turned out okay for you! Best wishes!! <3
I have two large pans on the stove now filled with sandhill plums. They were picked outside of Kanopolis, Ks.(I live in Holyrood) . This is my first time to make the jelly. I loved it as a girl when my grandma msde it. Your site has really helped me. Thanks so MUCH!
found some plums for the first time this year and have just finished making my first batch of jelly. we will see how well i can follow directions, lol when i first got the plums i cooked them and then froze the juice.. we live about 25 miles south of the ks. border and found an abundant supply of plums. thank you for your site! wish i knew how to send you the juice but i will send u some jelly if u like, no problem
For those of you living in the Fort Worth, TX area and wanting wild plums next year, I have seen several Chickasaw plum thickets near the Aledo and Benbrook areas. I picked a whole bunch of plums earlier this summer alongside Interstate 20 between Aledo and Benbrook.
I have also had luck finding plums by browsing along roads that parallel railroad tracks, and by checking anywhere where prairie remnants exist.
I would love a recipe!!?? Plum wine 😊
This is a very old thread so I hope this message is seen....but I have a couple questions about the plums you have.....I live in Oklahoma....it's mid August and I have found many wild plum trees that are still full of green Fruit!!....wondering if different and can I freeze the fruit to make jelly later in the fall???
I live in the farthest southwest corner of Kansas (Elkhart), sand plums are just now ripening. We have had a wonderful summer with many blessed rains and upper temperatures only in mid 90's. I picked with my Granny Meyer along Highway 160 southeast of Fowler about 45 years ago. This is my all time favorite jam/jelly. I hope to make her proud by using your recipe.
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