Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: denise on August 11, 2006, 17:41

Title: Plums
Post by: denise on August 11, 2006, 17:41
This is my first post here so I should really say hello first!
My other half shoots on and looks after a small estate when he's not working. He recently brought back about 10 kgs of plums which we have turned in to a sort of dipping sauce/marinade (.....enough for the next 5 years!). There are loads left and I want to try and use as many as we can, as I hate waste. Apart from jam, can anyone give me any ideas?
Regards,
Denise
Title: Plums
Post by: John on August 11, 2006, 19:11
Hello and welcome - I'm not hot on cooking but if your other half wants to go pigeon shooting, there's a warm welcome for him here!
Title: Plums
Post by: Heather_S on August 11, 2006, 20:00
You can wash and stone them, spread them on a tray (that will fit in your freezer) lined with parchment/silicone paper and freeze them until they're firm then store in a bag in the freezer. You can use them frozen for plum cakes or crumbles.
Title: Plums
Post by: fatgit on August 11, 2006, 21:37
After making jam, plum sauce, and relatives/neighbours grabbing handfulls, I was ledt with just over a kilo of plums, plus some apples, so I posted on the Jamie Oliver forums for somethign using both, and a guy called Madcrow posted this recipe for Plum & Apple Chutney.
I've made 2 large jars, and one small, and I'm dilligently waiting for the 12days,15 hours, 7minutes, and 6 seconds until it's matured.....

Plum & Apple Chutney..

2 tbsp Sunflower oil
3 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp ginger root, grated
1 dried chilli
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1.2kg Plums, halved and stoned ( Though you can leave the stones in, as long as you don't mind dodging them later )
1 large cooking apple, cored, peeled and roughly chopped
350g light muscavado sugar
400ml cider vinegar

Heat oil in a large saucepan ( Not made of aluminium or copper ) and add onion, garlic, ginger, chillies and spices.. Sauté gently for about 10 minutes, stirring til onions are softened and beginning to look lightly golden..

Add plums, apples and any juices to onions. Add a generous amount of seasoning, sugar and vinegar and cook for 1 and a half – 2 hours til thick, stirring regularly to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan.. When it is ready you should be able to draw your spoon across the bottom of the pan and see a definite line being drawn..

Allow to cool slightly and then spoon into sterilised jars, cover with plastic discs to prevent the metal lids reacting with the vinegar, and seal them while the chutney is still warm.. Store for at least 2 weeks before delving into the first one..
Title: Plums
Post by: rugbymad40 on August 12, 2006, 07:46
I have just started some Plum Vodka and it really doesn't get much easier to make than this.

1 KG Plums - stoned and cut into quarters
1 ltr Tesco's value Vodka
4oz caster sugar
1 container large enough to take all the ingredients.

Put the plums and sugar in the container and mix together.  Add the vodka and store in a warm cupboard for six months - stiring weekly.  After six months the plums will have had all their flavour and colour taken out of them so the liquid can be drained off and bottled.  Store this for as long as you can keep yourself from drinking it.  The older it is the better it gets - but it is acceptable to drink after six months.
CHEERS
Title: update!
Post by: denise on August 20, 2006, 15:53
Well we've just made our 'plums in vodka' and plum sauce for the goose we are cooking tonight. I'm going to make some plum and apple jam next week, I'll let you all know how it goes!
Thanks for the advice and the warm welcome,
Denise
Title: Plums
Post by: yummy on July 08, 2007, 14:07
Quote from: "fatgit"

I've made 2 large jars, and one small, and I'm dilligently waiting for the 12days,15 hours, 7minutes, and 6 seconds until it's matured.....


Was it tasty?

We have 3 plum trees on our plot so I'm trying to plan what to do with em all in advance.
Title: Plums
Post by: David. on July 12, 2007, 22:07
We've picked nearly 10lbs of our first wild plums from the hedgerows today and and are going back tommorow with my telesopic pole that has a hook on the end and extending 'grabbers' to get the best ripe ones from the top.

Got over 100 lbs last year (made jam, juice, chutney & wine, besides having loads of fresh fruit) and as there are several weeks left (the golden ones aren't ripe yet) hope to get around 200lbs this year. I knock the stones out with a cherry pitter as they ruin wine if any are left in.
Title: Plums
Post by: yummy on August 13, 2007, 11:17
We have loads of plums and they are almost ready. Picked the first few yesterday. Also have a few golden ones and also some green gages.

I'm going to try that plum and apple chutney recipe - thanks. Also going to do some jam. I've just bought all my stuff from Lakeland because it was by far the cheapest I could find. I've never done any of it before so wish me luck  :D
Title: Plums
Post by: muntjac on August 13, 2007, 11:19
we picked our first 2 yesterday . we have loads of wild damson / morelllo,s trees growing on the estate and they find thier way back home to my freezer in the way described
Title: Plums
Post by: yummy on August 13, 2007, 11:40
Quote from: "yummy'' I've just bought all my stuff from Lakeland because it was by far the cheapest I could find. I've never done any of it before so wish me luck  :D[/quote

Actually I take that back. I should have ordered here:
LINK (http://www.colouredbottles.co.uk/store/catalog/Jars-Food-Small-Order-Menu-p-1-c-407.html)
Think I will cancel my lakeland order now. Mind you lakeland don't sting you for postage. Ohh dunno what to do now.
Title: Re: update!
Post by: WG. on August 13, 2007, 11:47
Quote from: "denise"
Women are like T bags, you don't know how strong they are till you put them in hot water.
 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:
Title: Plums
Post by: splodger on August 13, 2007, 20:22
i 've got a great recipe for plum cake if you want it - but not tonight - body too crook :(
Title: Plums
Post by: muntjac on August 14, 2007, 11:19
i seem to think i have eaten dried plums on my travels , sliced in halves and depitted ?
Title: Plums
Post by: yummy on August 14, 2007, 21:53
Quote from: "splodger"
i 've got a great recipe for plum cake if you want it - but not tonight - body too crook :(

Mmm yes thanks. (When you have recovered).
Title: Plums
Post by: WG. on August 14, 2007, 21:57
Quote from: "muntjac"
i seem to think i have eaten dried plums on my travels , sliced in halves and depitted ?
Prunes?
Title: Plums
Post by: muntjac on August 15, 2007, 00:01
no mate they kept the colour unlike prunes which are black . cant think how it was done .
 this may be the answer

http://www.agen.ufl.edu/~foodsaf/he522.html