We have four plum trees on our property and another neighboring tree which drops on our yard. They are all small wild plums, or cherry plums. Pink flesh, yellow flesh, juicy, ripe, ripe, going, going, gone... one (silly) summer anxiety is letting these little guys go to waste. We can't possibly eat them all straight from the tree! They have little to no shelf life. I'm more than happy to share with friends, neighbors, birds, and bees. Still they fall to the ground. I know I should be canning them- wild plum jam is one of my favorites! But time hasn't been on my side. So in an act of love, and desperation, I turned to booze.
I sterilized a variety of canning jars and lids. I picked a basket of little plums from two different trees, washed in cool water, then pricked their skins with a fork before dropping them in the jars. When I couldn't fit another plum I added sugar to the jars (I filled the jars about 1/4 to 1/3 the way up), then BRANDY to the top! Lid, shake, store in a cool dark place, and patiently wait at least two months. Yum, I will be eating brandied plums while I carve my pumpkins and cozy up by the fire.
That is all the preserving I can muster for now, but I do have my calender circled for Monday, I've given myself the whole day. I certainly won't be lacking plums.
