Three varieties of plums are ready for picking now.
victoria-plums
Victoria plums are:
- dual purpose – desert (eaten raw) & culinary (good cooked, jammed etc)
- ready late August
- the best English plum
greengage-bowl
- Czar plums
plum-czar
Czar plums:
- one of the most popular culinary varieties
- delicious flavour
- blue colour
- ready early August
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First year a Victoria Plum in orchard fruited. Five years, bought in Woolies! Quite a number of fruits have split. As not enough for plum preserves we will make traditional apple and plum ‘butter’.
The end result is a stiff, sliceable preserve. Keeps years! ideal for sponge cakes as it is fairly ’solid’, does not run.
Comment by Kevin Paul Wright — August 26, 2009 @ 10:18 am
Hi Kevin
Congratulations on the first fruiting of your Victoria. Sad woolies has left us – they had some good plants!
Splits are a problem this year – hope you get the plums before the wasps.
Thanks for the apple & plum butter idea – have put a recipe on TopVeg – wonder how it compares with yours?
Happy harvesting
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg — August 26, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
Apple butter is my wifes base recipe.
1.Windfall apples (any)
2.Quarter, removing bruised and eaten bits. Keep pips cores skin intact.
3.Smallest amoount of water to just covering bottom of lided pan, this is to get juices flowing.
4.Low heat (side of range for those of us fortunate to have old fashioned range wood of course).
5.Stir occasionally lifting softened fruit to top.
6.When you have a ‘golden’ (not burnt) brown mush, push through sieve to remove skin, pips etc.
7.For every pint of puree add one pound of sugar (or metric equivalence)and one flat t spoon mxd spices.
8.Stir in sugar and spices. Set at side of range with lid, to allow sugar to dissove naturally (even overnight)Sue never hurries her preserves!.
9.Have ready warmed clean jars.
10. Place pan on medium heat, flat ended wooden spoon at the ready. Unlike ordinary jams which you do not stir, this requires moving very thick mix off bottom to prevent sticking and burning,(don’t worry if do get some stuck, fish out quick with the wooden spoon).
11.You require a ’soft’ rolling boil – movement on the top.
12.After 10-15mins check butter for its setting qualities. Place a t spoonfull of mix on very cold plate. Set aside for a cooling moment. Tip plate on side, if mix wrinkles but stays put your ready for jaring. If not keep cooking and try again.
13.Add own variations of other fruit with apple as base. To keep pectin levels up probably no more than a third other fruit-consistency will vary.
Apple butter is especially nice for Victoria sponge filling as it does not run away.
Comment by kevinincornwall — August 26, 2009 @ 1:31 pm
Kevin Thank you (& your wife) for both giving us your recipe & for taking the time to write it down. The info is brilliant – many thanks TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg — August 27, 2009 @ 5:33 am