So here are the sand hill plums from Saturdays market. The ones the farmer warned me would NEED sugar. As soon as I got home I popped one in my mouth after rinsing and ... oh lord he wasn't kidding! Sour doesn't even begin to describe the pucker factor.
But in the spirit of perseverance, and channeling my inner CHOPPED chef persona, I decided to make a syrup. Why not?
Easier than jelly and a perfect accompaniment to greek yogurt or oatmeal/quinoa topped with bananas and flakes of coconut - a fruity/tart replacement for honey.
It may be good on ice cream or a vanilla custard - I haven't tried that yet. Or, what about a nice thick piece of toast with ricotta cheese, blueberries, a sprinkle of chopped toasted walnuts and a drizzle of sand hill plum syrup?
I did make a refreshing cocktail with apple vodka, plum syrup, and club soda. It wasn't the best cocktail I have every made, but it was also by no means the worst. Further experimentation is needed. If you have some sour plums you need to use, here is what I did. They were put in a pot and covered with water, brought to a boil, let the skins burst, mashed them up a bit, let them cool, and strained them. This left me with 2 cups of strained plum liquid to which I added 2 cups of sugar, that was brought to a boil, cooked down a bit, skimmed the top and poured in jars.
Tell me what you guys would have done with them? I am dying to know.
Not sure, but I am salivating here in SoCal!
Posted by: jacki longj | 08/26/2021 at 12:40 AM
I wonder if it could be used in the place of rhubarb? That would be my first inclination. My sister has a rhubarb pie recipe that's not like a regular pie. I'm not sure if you remember but years ago I sent you a recipe book I put together of my grandma's recipes... Bootie's Cookin'. The recipe is on page 33. If you don't have the book any more and would like the recipe I can take a photo and put it on my IG account.
Posted by: Emie | 08/27/2021 at 10:03 AM
Good thought Emie... of course I have Bootie's cookbook!
Posted by: carol | 08/27/2021 at 09:13 PM
😁 😁 😁
Posted by: Emie | 08/28/2021 at 02:19 AM
Maybe added some ginger? I've been adding ginger to a lot of things lately. My daughter and her boyfriend have been making a lot of syrups for craft cocktail-making and I know they throw in ginger every so often.
Posted by: Sarah S | 08/28/2021 at 12:37 PM
Susan: I just made a cocktail with vodka, ginger liqueur, sand hill plum syrup and a squeeze of lemon. Thanks for the ginger suggestion! It’s perfect!
Posted by: Carol | 08/28/2021 at 02:59 PM