Plum questions - storage

babyshoes

If you are going to cook them and they are ripe now, then best chuck them in the freezer - don't do what I did earlier this year and just leave them in the kitchen thinking they will be fine for a few days - they weren't!

Flyboy152

catkins wrote: »

Hi, I have been given a massive bag of plums and intend making some jam and some chutney with them. Although I have everything for the jam I don't for the chutney and don't want to go shopping until Saturday. The plums are very ripe and I am not sure if they will be ok until Saturday afternoon. What's the best thing to do with them? Should I put them in the freezer until I am ready to use them or what?

Any answers will be greatly appreciated.

I've just made some Belgian Plum Jam yesterday:

4 lb stoned plums
3 lb jam-sugar
1 lb caster sugar
1 pt water
1 shot of brandy
Fresh Cinnamon
Fresh Nutmeg

Before starting to cook the jam, place a saucer in the freezer (it will make sense in the end ).

Place plums in a large thick-bottomed pan, add all the sugar (the reason for the caster sugar, is because the plums will have lots of natural pectin and won't need the full amount in the jam-sugar). Add water and brandy. Grate cinnamon and nutmeg into the pan. Heat slowly, until all the sugar is dissolved and then bring to the boil and simmer for about forty minutes.

During this time you will need to sterilise your jars. I normally run them through the dishwasher, then stand them in the sink and pour boiling water into them.

Get you saucer out of the freezer and test the jam for setting, by placing a few drops on the saucer. If it sets fairly quickly, it is ready. If it stays liquid, continue to simmer for a little longer.

When ready, remove from the heat, skim the surface with a metal spoon, to remove any impurities from the top and allow to settle for about ten minutes, this will allow the fruit to stay evenly distributed. Pour the jam into the jars (a jam funnel is a good idea to help with this). When full, place the lids on straightaway, while the jam is still hot, when the jam cools it help to create a vacuum and seal the jars quite well.

Great with soda bread and toast.

squeaky

Hi

There's an older thread with a few ideas and links in it:- Plum questions - storage

And a number of alternative ideas in these links:- plum threads here on Old Style MoneySaving

PipneyJane

Stone them and simmer them now with a small amount of water, then refrigerate. They won't keep until Saturday. Once they're stewed, you can freeze them if you want until later in the year.

(I was given a large bag of plums on Monday but, thanks to travel for work, couldn't process them until today. Disaster. I had to throw out 2/3 of them. I've got just about enough for a plum crumble. I've stewed them and will freeze them for later in the year.)

splodger_seedswapper

i just stick them (whole) in the freezer - until i need them

then, when i am ready to use some - i half them whilst they are still part frozen (less messy to stone) - let them defrost - and then use as if they were just picked