Plums!

I mentioned in an earlier posting that I had a neighbor who had plethora of fruits growing in her tiny little Minneapolis yard. Here's an example:

Tonight I finally got to pick some of the plums that have finally ripened. (Have I happened to mention that this is a very slow year?) Anyway, so in about 15 minutes, I managed to clean off about 6 branches -- a tiny dent when you consider the size of the tree. And yet, that dent resulted in 12.5 POUNDS = 235 individual plums!! That's a lot of fruit.

My fiancee and I have already planned to make some Plum Leather (easy and people enjoy it as a healthy snack), and I'll probaby make a cobbler or two using the recipe provided in an earlier blog....likely something on the lines of Plum/Apple. (One of these I will give back to my neighbor for being so kind and sharing.)

We are also considering making plum butter and jam -- both are great as gifts and can easily be stored long-term. I'm currently on the search for good recipes that we can use -- any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated.

The following recipe I have seen referenced on multiple other sites. It's for a plum chutney and sounds tasty enough to give a "go".

Here's the recipe as provided at: withknifeandfork.blogspot.com
This recipe is from Delia Smith.

• 3lb plums
• 1lb apples
• 3 onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 heaped tsp ginger
• 1lb seedless raisins
• 1lb soft dark sugar
• 1lb Demerara sugar
• 1 pint vinegar (recipe says malt I used cider)
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1oz allspice berries
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• large non-reactive pan
• 6 jars

Note: you can adapt the spices to a mix of your favourites but you need roughly the same quantity, for example I had a smoked chilli in mine, and coriander because I like them.

Put the spices in a muslin square and tie it tightly with string. Stone the plums, finely chop the apples (cored but leave on the skins), finely chop the onions and put them all in a large pan. Crush the garlic and add it, the raisins, ginger, sugars and vinegar to the pan. Sprinkle in the salt and stir well.Suspend the whole spices in their ‘bag’ into the pan and tie to the handle for easy removal later. Bring to the boil and then simmer pour about 3 hours until the vinegar has almost disappeared and you have a thick, soft chutney. Remember to stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Sterilise the jars and fill whilst both they and the chutney are still warm.L eave to mature in a cool place for a minimum of 3 months.