Plum Crazy

I started canning last year.  I'm no expert and I don't can a lot.  But I do like taking advantage of preserving some of the fresh foods of summer, and now that I am growing some of them myself, it's especially rewarding.  Last summer I canned tomatoes, put up lots of different kinds of jams and preserves, chutneys and sauces.  

My sister's neighbor has a plum tree that works in overdrive this time of year.  She calls my sister to tell us that the plums are dropping and we go over with a big box and pick up the undamaged ones on the ground and then start picking the ones off the tree.  Here's one big bowl that were not quite ready for prime time.  This was what was leftover after we made a plum crisp for dessert.  More about that in a minute, because as you can see, the first order of business, before we got started cooking, by the way, was the plumtini.

As you can see, I almost forgot to take the picture before I had the thing polished off, but well, here was the second half of it.  We made a simple syrup with sugar and water and added a few meaty plum pits to the concoction and let it steep.  That's what made that beautiful color.  To mix the plumtini, we used one part vodka, one part marshmallow vodka, one part simple syrup.  It was pretty sweet, so we tried it without the marshmallow vodka but it didn't taste nearly as good.  So we added ginger ale to it to cut the sweetness.  Much better.  Still a bit on the sweet side, but very refreshing!  Next time, we're going to make the simple syrup with one part sugar to two parts water to cut the sweetness, instead of one to one.  If you try it and build on it, let me know.

Here's the plum crisp, which was delicious, but a bit runny.  We made the recipe up.  Plums, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon covered with a standard crisp topping of oats, brown sugar and butter.  The ripe plums were pretty juicy and I think we should have drained them longer.  But still, very good. 

I haven't had a chance to do it this year yet, but last year, with the overabundance of the plums, I made plum sauce and it is out of this world.  This recipe makes about 4 pint jars.
 2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 T. finely chopped chili pepper (I used a jalapeno which I seeded)
2 T. mustard seeds
1 T. salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T. grated ginger root
10 cups finely chopped pitted plums

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Continue to boil gently for 1.5-2 hours until it is thick.  Fill sterilized canning jars with the hot sauce, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.  Remove bubbles and clean the jar rims if necessary.  Screw tops on finger-tip tight.  Process in your canner for 20 minutes.  Remove canner lid, let rest 5 minute.  Remove cans from bath and let cool.
This makes a great sauce for any kind of grilled meat and can be used as a barbecue sauce as well.