By the end of the season, I got a little overwhelmed with my damson plum trees (or whatever hybrid they are). I have heaps of jam and syrup, and I even froze some. But there was still a full 5-gallon bucket staring at me.
So I canned 'em. I washed them, put them whole into the jars, filled with hot light syrup, and pressure canned for 10 minutes.
Last night I popped the first one open. I strained the juice and put the plums into a baking dish. I used my hand to feel around and remove all the pits. Then I made the pudding cake I so liked with rhubarb (cutting back the sugar because they were canned in syrup).
Delicious. I think I'll drink up the rest of the juice mixed with seltzer water. I'd cook it down to syrup but I"ve already got a fair amount of that.
Next year I won't get many plums because we really hacked the trees all back, but they'll come back.
And I'll be ready.
I went to a farmer's market recently where a man was selling some unrelated products but really just wanted to share the gospel of damson plums. Nutritional powerhouses! We talked for ages about these plums. He really likes his as fruit leather.
How funny that I'd never even heard of these fruit as recently as three months ago, and now they're a real part of my life.
