Glut of plums

[SachaF]

Hi all,

My plum tree fruit is about to all mature, probably within two weeks of each other. Whilst I like eating plums, and luckily so do both my children (at the moment) we will be unable to get through/give away all the plums we will have. Last year a lot of them went into the compost bin.

I don't like plum jam and I don't like plum crumble. I'm aware I can freeze plums but then never know what to do with them!

Please, what are your suggestions! I love that we have a plum tree but am wondering if it's worth the hassle! (attracts wasps, I have to clear the grass/pavement each mornign of the fallen fruit).

Thanks,
Sacha

Lots of suggestions here

Nigella's baked plums with Barbados cream - yum. I usually use port instead of wine though and nowhere near as much alcohol or sugar as the recipe calls for.

Plum crumble is gorgeous! How can you not like it?

They are good poached, then folded into whipped cream and used to fill a sponge cake.

I have a gorgeous plum and almond cake recipe

Plum jam is divine instead of raspberry in a bakewell slice

Plum pie

Plum pudding

Plum sauce for duck

We freeze plums every year

This is a fantastic cake made with stewed plums, also freeze them to make at other times of year. Do add some cinnamon to the recipe.

Sophie Grigson's 'Country Kitchen' - recipe for Apple Sauce Cake

10 oz SR flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
half teaspoon salt
4 oz caster sugar
4oz demerara sugar
(plus some for sprinkling)
4 oz butter, melted
2 eggs
half a pint unsweetened stewed gooseberries (or applesauce, or indeed rhubarb, or pureed stewed plums).
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre heat oven 180C 350F gas mark 4.
Line a 9 inch tin with non-stick baking parchment and butter the sides.

Mix the flour with the baking powder, salt and sugars.
Make a well in the centre and add the butter, egss, stewed gooseberries/apples whatever and vanilla extract.
Beat the whole lot together well then pour into the tin.
Smooth down lightly, then sprinkle about one and a half to two tablespoons of demerara sugar over the surface.

Bake for about 45 minutes until firm to the touch, test with a skewer. If it comes out clean, it's cooked.
Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the tin before turning out.

Keeps well, firming up after a day or two, staying moist.
If sweetened fruit is used, reduce the granulated sugar content to 2 oz

plum wine. yum!

thankyou all very much, i look forward to trying these out.
Plum sauce for duck - yum! Will just need to treat ourselves to some duck ;)
Cakes and bakes sound good too.
My FIL has bought pectin as he intends to do plum wine.... I'll hold judgement on whether plums make good wine until after i've tried it!

You could advertise the glut on freecycle.

I love stewed plums... or you could try distilling them to make plum brandy.

Plum Gin is wonderful and so easy. You can drink it, very warming in the winter.

Cooking duck, pheasant, guinea fowl just throw some in the roasting pan with the stock delicious.

Fresh fruit salad just add a little plum gin and marinade.

I have just made Plum Vodka for Christmas.

2lbs plums
1.5 lts vodka
1.5-2lbs sugar (depending on how sweet you ike it.
put in steralised jar and leave alone, apart from shaking every few days

enjoy

Ooh thanks for all of these - a pupil has just given me some plums (and some honey) today, from their home, so now I have some ideas of what I could do with them!

I've just made a plum crumble with some partially defrosted ones from last year! Top tip: They are much easier to stone when they are partly frozen.

With pretty much any fruit, put in a baking dish, sweeten a bit if it really needs it, and dollop basic sponge cake mixture over the top. Bake about mark 4 or 5 about 40 mins. For damsons or cherries make everyone play Tinker Tailor, ie don't stone them!

Make jam, then give it away. Lots of people will then feel kindly dispsed towards you. They may even swap it for something you do like the taste of.

If your jam doesn't set very well, call it 'conserve'.

Make chutney - think Delia has a good recipe