damson plums - canning

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. 

plum torte

 From NYT.

Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

• ¾ to 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1cup unbleached flour, sifted
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 24 halves pitted purple plums
• Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon, for topping

• Preparation

  1. Step 1

     Heat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

     Cream the sugar and butter in a bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and eggs and beat well.

  3. Step 3

     Spoon the batter into a springform pan of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.

  4. Step 4

     Bake 1 hour, approximately. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Or cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. (To serve a torte that was frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.)

  Tip

  • To freeze, double-wrap the torte in foil, place in a plastic bag and seal.
   

damson plum jam

 It looks like my new house has heaps of damson plums - or to be more accurate from a landscaper who came by, some sort of hybrid on-nongrafted stock that likely developed right here. They're in large clusters so heavy as to pull down the thin branches. Everyone says the tree needs trimming back and I warn them to wait until after harvest.  I'm quite excited about these plums.

I made my first batch of jam and it seems very tasty though I have to let it cool first for maximum effect.  

Damson Hybrid Plum Jam 

Ingredients:  

• 1.5 kilogram of damson plums.  It seems fine to pick when slightly underripe and there's more pectin in there
• 2 cups water
• 750 g sugar (is what I used and I want to try even less sugar)

Directions

Pick and clean the plums. Clean jars and lids; put lids in hot water to prep and sterilize jars. 

If more than 1.5 kilograms, make in batches.  

Put the plums in a big pot with 2 cups of water.  Turn on low-medium to let the plums cook a bit to soften, like 5-10 minutes.  Let cool enough.  Pour into a colander on a bowl and pick out the pits.  Then return the pulp and juice to the pan.

Warm again and add sugar, stirring well.  

Keep stirring as turning up the heat.  Once it gets to boiling, stir very well and let it boil for ten minutes. 

Pour into clean jars and lids.*  Process if you wish**

 

*Re jars & lids: I reuse.  Not just mason jars, but jam jars.  I especially like the Bonne Maman jars, they're a great size.  I've reused the lids numerous times without issue, and I like that I can give them away and if they're recycled instead of returned to me it's no big deal. 

**Re processing: I grew up with homemade jam poured into sterlized jars and letting them seal on the countertop.  Since I've learned they're supposed to be water bathed for 10 minutes.  Shrug.  Either way.  If I water bath, I"m a little less fanatical about everything fully sterilized, and just clean is good enough.