Skinned plums?

[filka]

I came across a hand-written recipe from my mother "from one of my [her] mother's little 3d books - probably about 1925."

It started "4lbs ripe plums, skinned and stoned..." and my first thought was how on earth would you skin a ripe plum?

Suffice to say I didn't bother, it took nearly an hour just to stone a cut them - but I just wondered...

Like a tomato? Pour boiling water over?

Same way you skin a tomato, score round the centre with a sharp knife, plunge into boiling water, then cold and it peels off. Proper faff 🤣

Plums aren’t what they used to be. I swear that the ones I buy from the supermarket go straight from underripe golf balls to being all wrinkled and shrivelled, without spending anytime plump and juicy like I desire

I remember tinned plums when I was young.
Can’t find any now, anybody know where to get them?

@Bimblybomeyelash

Plums aren’t what they used to be. I swear that the ones I buy from the supermarket go straight from underripe golf balls to being all wrinkled and shrivelled, without spending anytime plump and juicy like I desire

This is because it’s not plum season yet. They have to be picked unripe to be transported and arrive fit to sell. If you buy British plums in September they’ll be fine.

It's one thing to blanche a few tomatoes, but 4lbs of plums - I don't think so. I wonder why, I've never blanched plums for chutney.

I'm not in the UK - I'm not sure where my plums came from, though I think local in Azerbaijan as that kind of fruit is very seasonal here. But maybe they weren't quite ripe - the stones were a bugger to get out and the chutney is somewhat more tart than I usually make. But it'll be interesting to try in a few weeks

Maybe you're meant to skin them when they're only just ripe, so still a bit firm?
I'd love to hear the recipe!

Full recipe is attached