Not quite that simple, but making jelly isn’t all that hard. It’s making good jelly that’s difficult. Experience helps and I’m only a journeyman – but I have all the right tools.
This batch began with six pounds of plums. A Mehu-Liisa steam juicer extracted 3 quarts of juice from those. That was reduced over low heat to the 5½ cups the Ball Blue Book (don’t call it the Blue Ball Book!) requires. Combine that with a package of pectin, such as Sure-Jell, and bring to a boil. Add 7½ cups sugar and bring it up to 221º F.
At that point, you better have some sterilized half-pint jars and lids ready. I filled up nine, capped them, and processed in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. All the jars sealed with a sonorous snap within a minute after they were placed on the cooling rack. This morning, I put on the labels: “Plum Crazy Jelly.”
4:11:14 PM 
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