PLUMS IN SEASON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21716, 3 February 1934, Page 7 (Supplement)

PLUMS IN SEASON

WAYS OF USING THEM Plentiful supplies of plums are available now, and though they may be eaten freely while fresh many home cooks will be glad to know of ways of using them for the family table. Plum Pudding.—This is an old fashioned recipe brought up to date, for in great-grandmother's day. fresh fruits were dropped into puddings in the same way that -we now use raisins and sultanas. Required: 6oz. self-raising flour, 3oz. butter, 4oz. sugar, a pinch of salt, two eggs, Jib. of small golden plums. Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs and flour gradually, beating very thoroughly. Butter a fairly large basin, allowing plenty of room for rising, coat it with the mixture, add a layer of plums washed and tossed in sugar and spaced so as not to touch, pour the mixture over and repeat till all is used up, finishing with a layer of the mixture. Cover with greaseproof paper/and steam for two hours. Whole Fruit Conserve.—Use large plums—Victoria plums are suitable—halve and stone them, and if they are the right ripeness the stone will come away quite easily. Put them to soak for three or four hours in a solution of one teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda to one- and a-half gills of cold water; After this they must be rinsed thoroughly. Then take lib. of sugar for every lb. of fruit, or a basinful for every basinful. Moisten with a little water and put on a very low fire, stirring continually. When the sugar becomes liqiiid, put in the fruit and boil slowly tilj the plums become transparent. It takes from f-1 hour. Remove the plums and continue boiling the syrup till it is of the usual consistency, i.e., when a little dropped on a cold saucer and cooled quickly becomes covered with a thin film. Pour the syrup over the plums, and, when cold, put into jars. A small piece of vanilla added to the syrup at the beginning improves the flavour. A ' Chutney Recipe.—Take 41b. of green plums (without stones), Jib. grated carrot, lib. pared, cored and chopped apples, lib. stoned and chopped raisins, fib. chopped onions, one and a-quarter quarts of good malt vinegar. Boil these ingredients slowly together till all are tender, then gdd 21b. of brown sugar, two tablespoonfuls. of salt, two dessertspoonfuls of mustard mixed with a little vinegar, one teaspoonful of ground ginger, and, if liked, a little cayenne pepper and mixed spice. Continue cooking till the mixture is thick, when put into warm jars and cover.