Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Prick whole plums on two sides. For hot pack, keep the specified boil and covered stand. Do not use larger jars or shorten processing.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot_or_raw
- Jar sizes
- Pint or Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- Pints 20/25/30/35 minutes and quarts 25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare the canner, jars, and ingredients.
- Use mature plums; prick whole fruit on two sides, or halve and pit freestone plums. For hot pack, retain the 2-minute boil and 20- to 30-minute covered stand.
- Fill pints or quarts, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Pints 20/25/30/35 minutes and quarts 25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, clean needle or paring knife, saucepan, jar lifter, and pint or quart jars.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Select sound fruit or vegetables and measure exactly.
- Pack: Hot or raw pack; remove air bubbles and maintain 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Boiling-water canning; use the schedule for your altitude.
- Cool: Keep jars upright and undisturbed before testing seals.
Safety essentials
Prick whole plums on two sides. For hot pack, keep the specified boil and covered stand. Do not use larger jars or shorten processing.
About this recipe
Plums, Halved or Whole is a tested NCHFP home-canning recipe using hot or raw pack and boiling-water canning.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot or raw pack
- Jar size
- Pints or quarts
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Read the authoritative source completely before processing.
Altitude and processing schedule
Pints 20/25/30/35 minutes and quarts 25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
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Plums, Halved or Whole — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 14 lb mature plums average for a 7-quart canner load
- water or very light, light, or medium syrup for packing fruit
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
Directions
- Stem and wash plums. For whole plums, prick skins on two sides with a fork to help prevent splitting. Freestone varieties may be halved and pitted.
- For hot pack, add plums to water or hot syrup and boil 2 minutes. Cover and let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Fill jars with hot plums and cooking liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- For raw pack, firmly pack raw plums into jars and add hot water or syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Boiling-water process pints 20/25/30/35 minutes and quarts 25/30/35/40 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve chilled, spoon over desserts or yogurt, or use in sauces and baked dishes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the ingredients or process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by the authoritative source. Prick whole plums on two sides. For hot pack, keep the specified boil and covered stand. Do not use larger jars or shorten processing.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process if current food-safety guidance permits.
How this recipe compares
Whole plums require pricking; freestone plums may instead be halved and pitted before packing.
Troubleshooting
Use firm mature fruit and complete the covered stand for hot pack to improve heating and packing quality.
Discard any jar that leaks, bulges, spurts, is moldy, or otherwise shows spoilage. Never taste food to determine safety.
Source & provenance
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Plums, Halved or Whole. National Center for Home Food Preservation tested fruit-canning guidance.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: August, September, October
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
25–50 lb of Tree fruit per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.