ᐉ Harvesting plums for the winter at home

Preserving plums for the winter: dry and freeze

The two easiest ways to prepare plums for the winter are to dry them or freeze them.

In the first case, only fully ripened and undamaged fruits are suitable, and for drying it is best to choose plums of Hungarian or garden varieties.

Before drying, it is recommended to immerse the fruits in boiling water for half a minute with the addition of 15 grams of soda, then rinse it with clean water and use one of two methods:

In the oven or dryer. In this case, drying occurs much faster, but it must be carried out in several stages. First, the plums are dried in the oven for 4 hours at a temperature of up to 45 degrees, then they need to be given the same time to cool and put in the oven again, this time raising the temperature to 60 degrees. The third drying is carried out after another 4 hours in the oven and 4 hours of cooling, and here the temperature can be raised to 75 degrees.
Drying in the sun. Place whole or halved plums on a tray or baking sheet and leave them in a place well lit by the sun. The fruits must be turned over a couple of times a day, and the entire drying process takes about a week, of which at least 5 days the plums should lie in the sun and a couple of days in the shade.

When frozen, plums should be stored at a temperature of about -18 degrees in airtight bags or containers. Before freezing, it is enough to wash and dry the plums; if desired, you can remove the seeds from them.

Apple and plum compote for the winter

What you need (for 3 l):

plums – 10 pcs.;
apples – 2-3 pcs.;
water - how much will go in;
granulated sugar - 1 cup.

How to cook:

Wash the fruits and wipe with a napkin.
Core the apples and cut the pulp into medium slices.
Divide the plums in half and remove the pits.
Sterilize the jar using a method convenient for you.
Place plums and apples in a jar and immediately pour granulated sugar into it.
Boil water and pour into a container with apples and plums.
Immediately roll up the jar, turn it over and wrap it well. Leave it for a day.

Despite the fact that this drink is prepared without sterilization, a single pour is enough for it to stand well. And this is thanks to apples.

Homemade plum preparations: juices, preserves and jams

You can prepare plum juice using a juicer or make juice with pulp. In the latter case, for 2 kilograms of plums you will need half a liter of water and 100 grams of sugar.

The amount of water and sugar can be adjusted to achieve the desired consistency and sweetness. Before passing the fruits through the juicer, they can be softened in hot water.

How to make plum jam

There are many recipes for making plum jam, and you can add lemon, vanilla, and cinnamon to ripe fruits.

One of the popular recipes for plum jam includes 2 kilograms of plums, a kilogram of sugar and 40 grams of vanilla sugar and cocoa powder.

The jam is prepared as follows:

Ripe fruits are cut in half, the seeds are removed, and the plums themselves are sprinkled with 500 grams of sugar. They should be left in this form for a day.
After this, another 500 grams of sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla sugar are added, all this is carefully mixed and simmered over low heat for about an hour.
The finished product is poured into pre-sterilized jars, sealed and sent for storage.

How to make plum jam

Plum jam differs from jam in consistency (due to more sugar and cooking time). So for a kilogram of plums you need to take a kilogram of sugar, and you need to cook it all for a couple of hours.

Plum compote with cloves and cinnamon

What you need (for 3 l):

plums (pitted) – 0.3 kg;
cloves – 9 pcs.;
ground cinnamon – 3 g;
dried ground ginger – 3 g;
dry orange peels (zest) – 10 g;
sugar – 0.5 kg;
water - how much will go in.

How to cook:

Sterilize the jars and place the prepared plums in them. Fill with boiling water to the brim.
After 20 minutes, drain the liquid from the drain into a saucepan, add sugar and spices to it. Boil the syrup for 10-15 minutes, then strain so that the cloves and zest do not end up in the jar of compote.
Pour hot, strained syrup over the plums and seal the jars.
Turn the containers upside down, cover with a blanket and leave until the morning.

Plum compote, cooked for the winter with cinnamon, cloves and orange zest, is reminiscent of mulled wine. It can be made in both 3-liter and 1-liter jars.

Plum liqueur recipe

If you decide to make a tincture from plums by fermentation, then for 10 kilograms of seedless fruit you will need about 5 kg of sugar and a liter of water. All this must be poured into a large bottle, covered with gauze and left in a warm place for 3-4 days.

As soon as the plums begin to ferment, a water seal is installed on the bottle, after which approximately 30 days should pass until the tincture is ready.

At the end of this period, the wort is carefully filtered, the resulting liquid is bottled, sealed and stored in a dark, cool place. The tincture will be completely ready in 3-4 months.

Simple pitted plum compote

What you need (for 3 l):

plums – 0.75 kg;
sugar – 0.25 kg;
water – 2.5 l;
vanillin or cinnamon (optional) – 1 g.

How to cook:

After washing the plums, cut them in half and remove the pits.
Sterilize the jar and place the fruit halves in it. Pour boiling water over them.
After 15-20 minutes, pour the plum infusion into a saucepan and mix with sugar, boil for 5 minutes.
Pour the syrup into the jar and seal it tightly.
Leave the canned food to cool upside down under a blanket.

If using vanilla or cinnamon, stir it into the syrup as soon as it begins to simmer. Next, preserve the drink, following the instructions in the recipe.

Tkemali from plums for the winter

Tkemali is not only the name of the sauce, but also the type of plum from which it is made. To prepare the sauce you will need a kilogram of plums, a head of garlic, a bunch of dill and cilantro, red hot pepper, salt and mint to taste.

Ideally, it is recommended to use a special Georgian variety of mint - ombalo, as well as Svan salt, cilantro and tarragon.

Tkemali is prepared as follows:

The plums must be boiled for about half an hour, after which the seeds are removed from them, and the fruits themselves are ground through a sieve.
Finely chop garlic, dill, pepper, cilantro and mint, add all this to the plum mass.
The resulting mixture is placed on low heat and brought to a boil.

Tkemali sauce is an excellent seasoning for meat and fish dishes, salads and much more.

Tasty and healthy plum preparations will allow you to enjoy the taste and aroma of fruit even in the midst of winter cold.

Healthy plum compote with pulp

What you need (for 3 l):

plum – 1 kg;
sugar – 0.25 kg;
water – 2.5 l.

How to cook:

Boil the water. Dip whole plums into it, which must first be sorted and washed, but not pitted.
When the contents of the pan come to a boil again, turn off the heat. Allow the plums to cool in the water, then remove the fruits with a slotted spoon.
Now remove the pits from the plums. It doesn’t have to be cut, it’s fashionable to break it.
Grind the plum pulp with a blender or grind through a meat grinder.
Add sugar and plum puree to the plum broth and mix.
Bring the resulting mixture to a boil and pour into a sterilized jar (or 2-3 jars with a total volume of 3 liters).
Having rolled up the jar, turn it over and cover it with a blanket - let it cool gradually, undergoing additional sterilization.

An extremely healthy drink made from plums, made according to this recipe, can last up to 5-6 years, maintaining a pleasant taste. However, it is advisable to store this compote, which resembles plum juice, in a cool place.

Canned drink made from plums and peaches

What you need (for 3 l):

plums (preferably yellow) – 0.3 kg;
peaches or nectarines – 0.3 kg;
sugar – 0.25-0.3 kg;
citric acid – 2 g;
water – 2.5 l.

How to cook:

Place halves of plums and nectarines (or small peaches) in a sterilized jar and pour boiling water over them.
After 15 minutes, pour the aromatic infusion into a saucepan, mix with lemon and granulated sugar.
Boil the syrup for 5 minutes, pour into a jar with fruit halves.
Roll up the jar, place it on the lid, and throw a down jacket over it.

The next day, the jar of compote, containing a ray of sunshine, can be moved to a permanent storage location until winter.

Plum and pear compote for the winter

What you need (for 3 l):

plums – 0.4 kg;
pears – 0.4 kg;
sugar – 0.25 kg;
water – 2.5 l.

How to cook:

Peel the pears and cut out areas with seeds. Coarsely chop (into quarters).
Wash the plums and pierce them with a toothpick.
Place both types of fruit in a previously sterilized jar.
Pour boiling water over the pears and plums and let stand for 20 minutes.
Drain the liquid from the jar into a saucepan, mix it with sugar and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Pour hot syrup over the fruit duet and seal the jar.
Ensure the workpiece cools slowly in a steam bath.

You will surely love the aroma and taste of this delicate pear and plum drink.

Compote of zucchini and plums

What you need (for 3 l):

yellow plum or cherry plum – 0.3 kg;
zucchini – 0.6 kg;
citric acid – 5 g;
sugar – 0.4 kg;
water - approximately 2 liters.

How to cook:

Cut the zucchini into small cubes. Leave the plums whole, just pierce them with a toothpick.
Place plums and zucchini in a sterilized jar and pour boiling water over them.
After 15, drain the liquid from the jar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour it over the fruits and zucchini again.
After a quarter of an hour, return the infusion to the pan, this time mix it with sugar and lemon, boil for 5 minutes.
Pour boiling syrup over the zucchini and plums and seal the jar.
Leave the canned food to cool in a steam bath.

The zucchini in this compote will taste like pineapples, and it is unlikely that any of the uninitiated will notice this “insidious” substitution.

Compote of plums and apricots

What you need (for 3 l):

plums (yellow or red) – 10 pcs.:
apricots – 10 pcs.;
sugar – 0.2 l;
water - how much will go in.

How to cook:

Place plums and apricots in a bowl of warm water, wash with a sponge, and wipe with a napkin.
Place the fruit (whole) into the prepared canning container.
Pour boiling water into the jar. Let the fruit warm through for 20 minutes.
Pour the infusion into a saucepan and mix with sugar and boil for a few minutes.
Pour syrup into a jar of apricots and plums and seal the jar.

Apricots and plums in this recipe can be supplemented with apples and or pears. It will be enough to take 1-2 fruits and cut them into slices. The recipe and technology for preparing the drink do not need to be adjusted.

A simple recipe for pickled plums

This is an old recipe that has stood the test of time. As a result, the pleasant aroma and harmonious unique taste of pickled fruits will delight the most picky and demanding connoisseurs of delicacies. It is important to be patient and follow the recipe exactly.

Ingredients and proportions:

10 kg plums;
5 liters of water;
150 g sugar;
75 g salt.

Recipe:

Dry well-washed fruits with a towel. Then place the prepared fruits in clean containers.
To prepare the brine, dilute sugar and salt in water and boil. Then remove from heat and let cool.
Pour the cooled solution over the fruits and cover them with currant leaves.
Cover the top with clean gauze or a cotton napkin and place in a room with a temperature of 18-20°C for 7 days for fermentation.
After the time has passed, check the fruit and add water if necessary. Cover with a lid and take to a cool place.

The plum treat will be ready in a month. This product should be stored for no more than 6 months. The brine is also suitable for consumption because it has a delicate pink color, an unusual sourish-sweet taste, and the gases in it make it a good drink that perfectly quenches thirst.