Kitchen Notes Pantry Preserves - Plums What to do with them

Preserving is the country way of surviving long winters and putting food up to feed your family during that time to keep them fit and healthy a practice that seems to be making a comeback at long last.

I have been preserving for the best part of 40 years doing various things and increasing my repertoire with something new every year or a different technique.  Trying different recipes and discarding those I do not like or just don't work for me and hanging on for dear life to the ones that do work.  Preserving and cooking is really down to having a really good recipe and a little time and patience to play.  I thought I would share some of the things I actually make each year to capture the harvest for the cold winter months.

Remember plums come in several different varieties.  I am particularly fond of Victoria but that is what I grew up with but I also like the darker plums as well.  my grandfather used to grow Black Diamond a lovely dark plum with sweet yellow flesh.  I would love to get hold of a couple of plants if I could.  I also like Greengages and Damsons when I can get them.

Plum jelly: I always make stacks of this as I use it as a base for a Chinese style sauce in my own home made stir fries.  It can also be used as a glaze for meat, and fruit, and also for coating ham and the Sunday roast with a particular affinity to pork.  Equally it is good served with pork just as jelly and I also use it in gravies.  It is good on toast and crumpets.

Plum Jam: I use this a lot in baking, pies, pastries, tarts, cake filling, toast, crumpets

Plum and Apple Jam: Again similar uses just a slightly different flavour way. It is good to ring the changes and adding the apple makes the plums go further.

Bottled whole plums.  Ideal for plum puddings and also for making sugared Victorian Style Plums as a Christmas sweetmeat akin to crystallised ginger.

Chinese style plum sauce. I tend to use only the dark plums for this particular preserve because of the colour.

Spiced plum jam.  Ideal for use in hot toddies and also Christmas Trifle

Greengage jam and Greengage jelly.  I always make these if I can get hold of Greengages.  My Grandmother loved Greengages and she had a Greengage tree in the orchard that only once fruited in over a 30 year period.  That was the summer before she passed and that fruit was one of the sweetest Greengages I have ever tasted.  However the joy that my Nan had in seeing that tree fruit was magical and holds a special memory in my heart.

Christmas spiced chutney another and different way of using up plums.

Plum Compote I bottle this but it can also be stored in the fridge and used within a couple of days.

Plum Chutney.  Well chutney always has a place in this household as we eat a lot of cheese.

Plum Wine.  My Nan always made this and it was always sweet and sparling.  She predominantly used Victoria plums to make this.  One day I will have that Orchard.

Plum Cordial makes another interesting drink for the pantry shelf.

Plum Cheese. Lovely served with proper cheese and pate or pork pie.  Yum.

Freeze them.  You have the option then of choosing whether you use in puddings or make some more preserves when you have more time.  Crumbles, flummeries, pies, sauce, puree its up to you.

Dehydrated plums.  Agen plums are dehydrated plums so make your own.

Plum Leather I have never made this but intend to have a go in the smaller dehydrator over the next few days or so.  I have some plums to use up and which will be ideal for this project.

Plum and Apple butter.  I am going to do a batch of this in the slow cooker.  I have not tried this particular version before.

Brown Sauce.  I have another recipe for this and so I am also hopeful to clear some time and room down to have a go at this.

Plum crumble.  Can be frozen uncooked and then cooked as you need them.

So there are lots of ways of using up the humble plum and indeed the many varieties.

Now to get cracking.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan


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