Drinks & Beveragescreativecanning5.0
Plum Lemonade Concentrate
Plum lemonade concentrate combines sweet plum juice with tart lemon for a refreshing drink base that's easy to can. Just mix with water or seltzer to serve, and enjoy the taste of summer any time of year.
👥 40 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h 30m⏳ Prep: 1h🔥 Cook: 15 min👤 Ashley Adamant📖 creativecanning
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pot
- ●strainer
- ●saucepan
- ●spatula
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Before you start, prepare a water bath canner and bring the water up to a simmer, and wash your jars and lids in hot soapy water. Keep the jars hot until you fill them so they do not crack when they meet the hot concentrate. There is no need to sterilize, since the jars are processed for more than ⏱️ 10 minutes.
water1 cup
2
Extract the plum juice. Wash the plums and pull off the stems, then cut them into chunks, with no need to peel or pit. Put them in a stock pot with the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until soft, mashing as they cook to release the juice.
plum juice (from above)4 cupsplums4 lbswater1 cup
3
Strain the cooked fruit through a jelly bag or a cheesecloth-lined strainer and let it drain for at least an hour. For a clear juice, do not press the pulp. For more yield with a little pulp, press gently. Measure out the plum juice you need for the recipe.
plum juice (from above)4 cups
4
Juice the lemons and strain the juice well to remove seeds and pulp, which can add bitterness. Set the strained lemon juice aside.
lemon juice (fresh or bottled)2 cups
5
Combine the plum juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a large saucepan. Stir well so the sugar begins to dissolve before the mixture heats up.
plum juice (from above)4 cupslemon juice (fresh or bottled)2 cupssugar6 cups
6
Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the sugar has fully dissolved and it reaches 190°F. That is hot and steaming, just short of a simmer, so a thermometer takes the guesswork out of it. Do not let it boil.
sugar6 cups
7
Ladle the hot concentrate into your prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Run a bubble tool or thin spatula around the inside of each jar to release trapped air, then wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth.
8
Center a lid on each jar and screw the band down to fingertip tight. Load the jars into the canner, making sure they are covered by an inch or two of water.
water1 cup
9
Bring the canner to a full rolling boil, then process for ⏱️ 15 minutes, adjusting the time for your altitude (see notes). Start timing only once the water reaches a full boil.
water1 cup
10
When the time is up, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for ⏱️ 5 minutes before lifting them out. That short rest keeps the liquid from siphoning out.
11
Set the jars on a towel and leave them undisturbed for 12 to ⏱️ 24 hours. Do not retighten the bands while they cool, and you may hear them ping as they seal.
12
After cooling, check the seals by pressing the center of each lid. A sealed lid will not flex. Store sealed jars in the pantry, and move any that did not seal to the refrigerator to use first.
Nutrition Facts
calories
152 kcal
fat Content
0.3 g
serving Size
1 cup prepared
fiber Content
1 g
sugar Content
37 g
sodium Content
3 mg
protein Content
0.5 g
carbohydrate Content
39 g
saturated Fat Content
0.01 g
unsaturated Fat Content
0.12 g
Reviews & Ratings
Share your thoughts and feedback about this recipe
Write a Review
Community Feedback
0 ReviewsLoading reviews...