Winter Canning - Asian Plum Sauce

Asian Plum Sauce

During the height of the harvest season, we often freeze fruits and berries for canning at a later date. We do this for several reasons:
  1. It relieves some of the pressure of getting everything harvested and preserved all at once, especially when multiple fruits and vegetables ripen at the same time.
  2. It allows us to gather enough fruits to make jam (this is particularly applicable with items we forage - serviceberry, huckleberry, Oregon grape, etc. - when it is not always possible to get a large amount at one time).
  3. It allows us to can at a time when the weather is colder and the heat from the canning process is a welcome aid in heating the home. (Canning when it is 95 degrees out and you have no air conditioning is not always fun.)
Since we had several pint size jars empty and I had a day at home, I decided to can more Asian plum sauce. Our family enjoys sauces - BBQ sauce, Hoisin, plum sauce, hot sauce, etc. - and we have been moving towards canning our own sauces (see our article titled "Canning Sauces - Why it is a Good Idea") to avoid the high cost of healthy sauces and the objectionable ingredients in more affordable sauces.

The day before I planned to can, I took out two large bags of plums I froze this summer and set them out to thaw. On canning day, I poured the plums into a heavy gauge stockpot, added the other ingredients, blended it all together and began the process of cooking down the sauce. I made a triple batch, so it took about two hours for it to cook down to the consistency I wanted. 



In the meantime, I sanitized the jars and prepared the canner. Once the sauce had cooked down and everything was at temperature, filling the jars went rather quickly. I ended up with nine pints of Asian plum sauce - perfect for stir-fry or a quick beef and rice meal. 

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