Plums-Unlimited

New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 812, 18 February 1955, Page 32

Plums-Unlimited

ERY varied indeed are the ways in which plums can be used-raw, stewed, baked, in pies and in desserts, in jellies, in jams, both plain and mixed with raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries or black currants; in delicious sauces and chutneys; not forgetting the excellent wine which is made with the almost over-ripe ones. A deep-dish pie made with a mixture of fruits, when you happen to have just 2 or 3 plums, a few stalks of black currants or a few raspberries and not enough of any to make a dessert by themselves, is really delicious, especially if made up to quantity with apples. Baked Plums This is my favourite method of stewing any fruit-the flavour is delicious always. Do them in covered casserole in slow oven (or at bottom of oven when roasting meat), and leave till cooked. They never get too squashy; put enough water to just show through but not to cover. Sugar to taste. If you prefer, you may boil up the. sugar with water first, to make a syrup, and pour over plums in casserole. Cover; you may leave them to finish cooking on stored heat after oven is turned off, especially if casserole is heat-resisting glass or the new stainless steel, both of which hold the heat a long time. They are lovely hot or cold, for breakfast fruit or dessert. Easy Bottling Method This is the "stewing method," beloved by busy housewives, and very successful. Make your syrup (2 cups water to 1 cup sugar, boiled for 5 to 8 minutes) in saucepan or preserving pan (do a sauce'panful at any convenient time). Have clean jars ready in oven on low heat. , Drop plums (or any fruit) into the boil- | ing syrup, cook gently till soft enough to Pierce with needle, but not soft enough to break up. Take one jar at a time from oven, ladle fruit in carefully, fill up with syrup, run hot knife round inside to free any air bubbles trapped under fruit, and seal each jar immediately. Stand out of draught. Pulping Plums Often you have a big quantity of plums when you haven’t much time, or sugar, to spend on them. Pulping is the answer to this situation, Simply boil plums to a pulp, with only sufficient water to keep them from burning or sticking, until the juice begins to flow. If they are very soft, you may just crush a few and not need any water. Strain pulp through sieve to remove skins and stones, pushing well through to avoid wasting any pulp. Return .pulp to the pan and re-boil, then bottle as in oe stewing method. Plum Jam Plus Boil till soft 4 Ib. plums and 2 cups water. Press carefully through sieve, leaving only skins and stones, Add 2 lb. loganberries, strawberries or raspberries to the pulp, and bring back to the boil. Then add gradually 5% Ib. warmed sugar, and stir well over moderate heat until sugar is properly dissolved. Bring up the heat and boil fast until jam will set when tested on cold plate. Plain Plum Jam Boil 3 lb. plums and 1 pint water. Allow 11% lb, sugar for each 1 Ib. fruit,

add, stir till dissolved, and boil till jam will set when tested. Pleasant Plum Dessert

Cook about 1 Ib. plums in a little water with sugar. It is best to make a little syrup first, and put plums into it when boiling hot. Don’t let plums break. Lift then. out into big serving dish or bowl. With the syrup, make up a packet of jelly crystals, adding enough water to make the pint. Choose a suitable flavour, preferably greengage. When jelly is just setting, beat into it an equal quantity of custard, made with either eggs or custard powder, and cooled.

Pour this over plums in the dish, and leave to set. Decorate with whipped cream if desired. Plum Wine Allow 8 to 12 Ib. very ripe plums to each gallon of water, and 34 Ib. to 4 Ib. sugar, according to sweetness of plums. Use earthenware or wooden vessel, not tin or any metal. Do not let wine get chilled during fermentation, but keep in fairly warm room, and do not move vessel about. Put plums into vessel, mash well, cover with hot water, and leave 6 to 8 days while fermentation is active, stirring frequently every day. Then strain juice through muslin bag, measure it, and add sugar as above. Let stand to work as long as it will. Skim every day, keeping some juice to add after skimming so as to keep the same quantity. It may work for a month or two. When it has quite ceased working, bung tightly, or bottle and cork well. Should be ready in 3 months, but the longer it is left to mature the better. Wine matures best in a wooden keg. Keep cask covered with light cloth during fermentation period as it attracts a lot of insects,

Pium Sauce (No Onions) Six pounds plums, 3 pints vinegar, 3 Ib, brown siigar, handful bruised ginger, 6 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon cayenne, or | to taste, 1 oz. cloves. Grease preserving pan, and boil all for 2 hours. Strain through colander, and bring back to boil. | Bottle. Plum Sauce (With Garlic) Four pounds plums, 144 Ib. sugar, 1_ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspooti salt, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste, 2 pints vinegar, 2 oz. garlic. Boil all for 2 hours. Skim off stones. Put through sieve, and bottle airtight. Plum: Sauce (With Apples) Six pounds red plums, 3 Ib. sugat, 1_ tablespoon salt, 3 pints good vinegar, 1 dessertspoon cayenne, or to taste, 3 large Onions, 3 large cookitig apples, 4% oz. allspice, 4% oz. cloves, Ye oz. bruised ginger. Boil all 144 hours. Strain and’ bottle. Plum Chutney Six pounds plums, 3 1b. apples, 3 Ib. onions, 2 lb. sugar, 4% Ib. salt, 1 level teaspoon pepper, 1 level teaspoon mustard, 3 cups vinegar, a small piece garlic. cut finely, 1 dessertspoon each whole all-_ spice and pickling spices, 42 Ib. each of | dates and fdisins and preserved ginger (preserved ginger may be omitted or less used). Peel, core and quarter apples, cut | onions. fine. Boil plums in vinegar, through sieve. Add apples, onions and other ingredients, stir well, atid boil 2 hours. Have ginger chopped, and spices in a muslin bag. Remove before bottling.