One really great day, we're so lucky!!

[max13077]

An old friend and I were out blackberry picking this morning. We drove around to a few places looking and found some. Then Bob remember this place where he used to farm when he was a young man(some 60 years ago), but we’d have to walk back in. We parked the car and made our way down through a field and into a brushy woods. Then we happened upon an old brick/stone foundation all grown over with weeds and vines. Looking around we noticed some nice looking apple trees out in back. It must have been quite the homestead in it's time. As we neared the trees we saw a smaller tree with purple fruit on it. A plum tree!!! How cool it was. They may be common elsewhere, but here they are extremely rare. Especially one that’s been uncared for as long as this one has. The fruit while still not even close to ripe was extremely sweet. We picked a bowlful and brought them home.

We also picked some of the apples. Bob thinks they are yellow transparents!! They are extremely tender and absurdly sweet. They were at their peak of ripeness. How lucky we were!!

I’m really inspired by the bounty mother nature put up for us today.

If some people could please suggest some ideas on how I can preserve the plums and the apples I would genuinely appreciate it. We can go back and get more. I was thinking apple sauce for the apples cause they are already very soft. Maybe jelly or something for the plums? I don’t know what kind they are, but even being hard like I said, they are very sweet. Lucky day!

 

[keljonma]

Great harvest! I love plums fresh or as plum butter or dried.

I got this recipe from a County Fair Recipes book. It was the Winner Blue Ribbon and Best of Section (Butters/Conserves/Marmalades) at 2001 Santa Clara County Fair!

Plum Butter
10 cups chopped, pitted plums (about 5#)
5 cups cane sugar

At just below medium heat, cook at a very mild boil for about 1 hour.

Take the pot off the heat and puree mixture with an immersion blender until very smooth. Return the pot to the stove and cook for about another 30 minutes. Stir frequently, this is the point where it easily burns and sticks.

The butter will be ready when you place a small amount on a plate and no water seeps out. It should be rich, dark and smooth.

After filling sterilized jars, return to a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Take out and allow to cool. Jars should seal within an hour.

Makes 9 8-oz jars


For the apples, yellow transparents are tender, juicy, and mildly acid, making it a favorite for homemade applesauce. They would probably be good for apple butter or dried apple slices also.

Blackberry jam or just make a pie and celebrate your find!

 

[hooligan]

Wow you are lucky, how wonderful!

I vote for the plum butter too, and apple butter for the apples, great Xmas gifts since you can go back and get more!

I would love to know how to make applesauce since so many of my dog treat recipes call for it unsweetened.

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
Applesauce - canned
An average of 21 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 13-1/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 48 pounds and yields 14 to 19 quarts of sauce--an average of 3 pounds per quart.

Select apples that are sweet, juicy and crisp. For a tart flavor, add 1 to 2 pounds of tart apples to each 3 pounds of sweeter fruit.

Wash, peel, and core apples. If desired, slice apples into water containing ascorbic acid to prevent browning. Placed drained slices in an 8- to 10-quart pot. Add 1/2 cup water. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning, heat quickly until tender (5 to 20 minutes, depending on maturity and variety). Press through a sieve or food mill, or skip the pressing step if you prefer chunk-style sauce. Sauce may be packed without sugar. If desired, add 1/8 cup sugar per quart of sauce. Taste and add more, if preferred. Reheat sauce to boiling. Fill jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process. Pints for 15 minutes and Quarts for 20 minutes in a water bath canner.

 

[theOEGBman]

We just made Plum Jam the other day and it is delicious. We cheated and used to recipe in the Sure Gel packet, but it worked perfectly. Sounds like you guys had a fun day! We have all of those growing on the property here, its not hard for us to find them.

 

[max13077]

I'm going down to buy some jars and stuff today!! WooHoo!! Thanks for the recipes!

 

[BirdBoy88]

That made me hungry!

Great harvest it all looks Delicious

 

[chick4chicks]

Wow you were quite lucky, great looking fruit. Enjoy.

 

[max13077]

I just finished a bowl of blackberries....

"Take me now lord!!!"

 

[JennsPeeps]

Plum chutney is also delicious!

Google for a recipe.