Plumming Project

Day 314: It's that time of the year again, and I'd like to give a shout out to a Parkie friend who presented me with two bags of delicious red plums, more than I could reasonably eat before they went bad. That said, I am not one to turn down free fruit, so the question became what to do with the remainder. Plum crumble? Canned plums? Frozen plums? Plum butter! Well, as they say, "It seemed like a good idea at the time," but after tenderizing them and putting them through the food mill, I realized that by the time they were cooked to the "butter" stage, I might not have enough to fill a four-ounce jar. I decided to make plum jelly instead. By that point, I was definitely winging it as far as the recipe was concerned, so I checked my pectin supply, added more sugar, put the jars on to boil, and roughly 45 minutes later, I had three half-pints canned up and cooling. There was a slight over-run which went in the fridge and was taste-tested on sourdough toast this morning. It's a little runny, but tasty.

Never Pass Up Free Food

Day 314: After my dad died, my mother and I were plunged into abject poverty, and there were many days when I was grateful to have a bowl of oatmeal at dinnertime, the only food I'd seen all day. Special occasions might have seen a grilled-cheese sandwich made with process cheese on my plate, a real treat for an 11-year old who was so thin she'd have to stand twice to cast a shadow. That said, our acreage had fruit trees and berry vines, and although sugar was too costly to expend in canning, my mom often froze the harvest. I can hear her voice even now, offering words which still guide me today: "Never pass up free food."

Kevin showed up on my doorstep last night with a bag of plums, presenting me with an internal debate. Did I want to make plum butter or jam? Did I want to freeze them? Or did I want to can them as an alternate to the figs I'd missed out on? I already have a cupboard full of various jams, jellies and preserves and don't need more, so that option was rejected. They'd need to be treated with an anti-browning agent for freezing, and a check of my canning supplies told me I was out of FruitFresh (lemon juice is not recommended for plums because it alters the flavour). That left me with canning. Okay, I'm good with that.

I let Kevin know that I'd put up three pints, and he asked, "Do you want more?" Yes! This morning, he dropped off another bag which yielded up two more pints. It seems like a lot of work for only five pints of fruit, but this winter, I know I will relish every last bite.