Thursday 29 August 2013

Plums anyone?

Yes, this really has been a year of plenty - from the first strawberry, through the gooseberries, the raspberries, the blackcurrants, the peas, the broad beans and now the plums - everything has given of its best.

Now we are inundated with plums of an unspecified variety.  The one thing I know for sure is that they are decidedly NOT Victoria plums.  They are everyone's favourite and have a distinctive taste of their own - and are best eaten straight off the tree.

These plums are medium sized, plum coloured and taste alright (damned with faint praise?) and the farmer started picking the ripe ones this morning - a large bowl full.

What to do with them?   Any ideas anybody?  We had a glut two years ago - I still have plum chutney left to eat from that year, I still have several jars of plum jam from last year.

Today we are having stewed plums and custard - yes I know, plum crumble and custard, plum pie and custard would both be better, but they both have far too many calories in them when we are watching our weight (I am watching our weight).

But the branches of the tree are bent and touching the ground.   The crop is ripening rapidly and friend wasp will be waiting in the wings.   So if anyone has any ideas then please respond.   I did think of plum brandy but am not sure how to go about it.

And if any of my local friends are reading this blog - then give me a ring if you want some!
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7 comments:

MorningAJ said...

Plum brandy is easy - just like sloe gin and bramble vodka!
There's a recipe here: http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/drinks/plum-brandy-recipe

You could also bottle some as Christmas presents if you have some nice jars.

MorningAJ said...

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=67987.0

How to bottle fruit. :)

Irene said...

What a luxury problem to have. An abundance of plums. If I lived close to you, I would have you can a few jars for me, not knowing how to do it myself. I can taste the jam now. I hope you find a way to put those plums to good use. It would be a shame to let them go to waste.

Heather said...

They are so beautiful to look at but wouldn't last long as an ornamental feature! For sloe gin you just prick each fruit, put them in a jar or bottle and cover with gin. Would the same procedure work substituting plums and brandy?
It's a pity pastry is so full of calories, isn't it?

Rachel Phillips said...

Following the heavy behaviourist psychological stuff of yesterday and the day before it is nice to be talking about plums. I like stewed plums with Carnation milk and a bit of pastry.

angryparsnip said...

Beautiful photo today of the plums. I love all the colors.

cheers, parsnip

Gwil W said...

I like a mixture of stewed plums and apples.