Ooh, please don’t worry; this isn’t a political post!
Unless, that is, you find plums political.
150 pounds of plums. A Super PAC of plums? A plethora? Whatever you call it, it’s a lot of fruit.
Plum pickers. (i.e., cheap labor.)
We have a single Italian Prune Plum tree in our front yard, and we spent last Sunday giving it our undivided attention. Jason and I spent a couple of hours on it, and the boys even climbed the branches to help us reach some of the fruit.
We never did get the stuff up on the very highest branches, but I feel okay about that. The squirrels are loving it, and after not realizing what we had last year (and therefore letting it all rot on the tree – gasp!), at least we took advantage of most of it this time around.
Yes, to the tune of one-hundred-fifty pounds. Geez.
Bags and bags and bags of plums!
What followed this past week made me feel a lot like Bubba, of Forrest Gump fame. We made plum chutney and plum sauce and plum pie and plum bread. We pitted plums and chopped plums and sliced plums and boiled plums and canned plums and froze plums. We gave bags of plums out to family, neighbors, teachers, office workers, therapists, coworkers, principals, and the exterminator.
My fingernails have been purple.
I feel so accomplished!
Holiday presents – done!
It was a very successful week. I had only one failure, when I tried to double a batch of plum preserves and burned the whole pot. (Lesson learned!) Our house smelled like a very large, burned marshmallow for about thirty-six hours. I was more annoyed with myself than upset.
Soon to be a sticky, candied catastrophe.
Okay, in all honesty, I was too tired to be upset. This was Monday night, after a full day of chopping, cooking, and canning. I was simply glad at that point that Jason was home to help me clean up the burned, sticky mess.
A huge shout out to Mom, and thanks for all her help with the chopping, slicing and canning. (And for taking one of the big bags off our hands and into her own kitchen!)
And for the four pounds of peaches, which today made it into jars as Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce.
Next…I’m thinking squash pickles…I figure, since I’m on a roll, why not keep going?
Exactly! Why not? We planted an apple tree the year my oldest was born. It didn’t make it past 2004. I would love plum preserves. (Doesn’t it feel good to know that you have something the grocery store doesn’t)?
Arnebya blogged this: It’s Not Me, It’s You.
I am duly impressed. And when you come to visit, I will take a jar of that plum chutney.
Gretchen blogged this: Spin Cycle: Educating Jude
I thought about bringing jars for both Heather and you, but I don’t plan on checking a bag…will they let me on the plane with it? Somehow, I think not…
Thinking about plum jam makes my mouth literally water.
How wonderful!
Elizabeth Aquino blogged this: Drug Mule
Holey shamoley, that’s a lot of plums!!
geeky Heather blogged this: The Geekend That Was, 9/16 (Injured Reserve Edition)
Aimee! You can too?
I just started this year! I made pickles with cucumbers from my garden and orange-rhubarb butter with rhubarb from my garden….and then bought 120 pounds of apples, 40 pounds of peaches and 20 pounds of pears from Valicoff Farms. It’s kind of addicting….like knitting! I’m so glad I went to that PTSA meeting!
This is the first year I’ve canned since high school, but I’m so happy with the results. I wanted to do squash pickles but didn’t get around to it. Maybe next year! I’m glad we both went to that meeting, too.