Preserving plums

My parents have three English plum trees that bear abundantly. In the space of one week I bottled over 30 jars of plums! In this picture you can see that I use both traditional Fowlers jars and recycled jars with screw top lids. I actually prefer the recycled jars as they are easier to use. You don't have to worry about rings and clips. If you are worried about the seal on lids for your recycled jars new ones are available. I purchased some from Green Living Australia, but I have also found that the seal on old lids usually pops down. I have not had any failures as yet. After preserving all these plums I don't have many jars left (Fowlers or recycled), so I may have to collect some from friends in order to make the apple sauce I am planning next. 


In the midst of all the effort it takes to preserve plums, I sometimes wonder if it is worth it. There are a few reasons why I think it is a good thing to do. Dave loves me to preserve things, and is happy to help. My parents have an abundance of produce that would otherwise go to waste. It is environmentally friendly to use what we have and to reuse jars. Doing so saves on transport, food production, and packaging. Bottled plums (even without sugar) are yummy. Perhaps most importantly, we know exactly where our food has come from and it is organic. These jars of food are almost like bottled summer to me! As we enter a colder part of the year, each time I open one of these jars I'll be able to remember dappled sunlight filtering through leaves, the sun on my back, and the hands that helped me pick and prepare the fruit. I'll remember my little boy sitting under a tree and stuffing himself with fresh plums, covering himself with juice in the process!