Small plums can be sour or sweet, aromatic and not so much. Whatever the fruits are, you can make many delicious things from them - liqueurs, compotes, jams, sauces. The main thing is to choose sufficiently ripe and not spoiled plums.
Jam from small plums
From small plums, in which the stone is poorly separated, you can cook aromatic jam. It is suitable both for tea drinking and for baking pies.
You will need:
- 1 kg of small plums;
- 6 glasses of sugar;
- 4, 5 glasses of water.
Wash and dry the plums by sprinkling on a towel. Stick the fruits and place them in hot, but not boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Then remove the plums with a slotted spoon and cover with cold water. Make sugar syrup from the liquid that the fruit was heated in. Pour sugar into it and boil until it dissolves gently, periodically skimming off the foam.
Pour the plums with hot syrup and leave to stand for 3-4 hours. Then place the container with fruits on the stove and bring the jam to a boil. Remove it from heat and set it aside again for 10-12 hours. Repeat the process 1-2 more times. After that, bring the jam to a boil again, reduce the heat and simmer until the syrup stretches into a thin thread. A drop of jam dipped on a saucer should not spread.
With a clean spoon, spread the plums into sterilized jars and pour over the syrup. Cover the jars with cheesecloth and let cool. If you close the hot jam, drops of water will settle under the lid, which will then fall on the surface of the jam. When the jars are completely cool, close them with lids and put them in storage.
Pouring from plums
Small sour plums can be used to make delicious homemade liqueurs. Served as a digestif, it helps the digestion of heavy food and is an excellent substitute for purchased liqueurs.
You will need:
- 5 kg of shallow plums;
- 2.5 kg of sugar;
- 4.5 liters of vodka.
Sort out the plums, cut off the tails. Rinse and dry the fruits, put them in a bottle and sprinkle with sugar. Tie the neck of the container with cheesecloth and let it sit in the sun for 6 weeks. When the mass is fermented, pour 0.5 liters of vodka into the bottle and leave the drink for another 4 months.
Strain the liqueur and pour the remaining 4 liters of vodka into it. Transfer the drink to a large enamel pot, boil, chill and bottle. Cork the liqueur tightly and store in a cool place. After six months, the drink will be ready to drink.
According to this recipe, you can make a liqueur from blackthorn, cherry plum and other small fruits.
Tkemali sauce
Small plums can be used to make a popular Georgian sauce. For it, the fruits of the tkemali variety are usually used, but small and sour plums are also suitable for others. They can be blue, white, or red. The main thing is to take only one type of plum for one type of sauce.
You will need:
- 1 kg of sour plums;
- 6 cloves of garlic;
- 50 g of dill greens;
- 50 g of cilantro greens;
- 50 g ombalo;
- 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds;
- ground red pepper and salt to taste.
Ombalo is a spicy herb that is actively used in Georgian cuisine. If you can't get one, use dried peppermint mixed with a little savory.
Put the plums in a saucepan, cover with a little water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender. Then discard them in a colander, and drain the liquid into a separate bowl. Rub the plums through a sieve, strangling the skin and seeds. Put the fruit puree on the stove and bring to a boil.
Remove sauce from heat, add salt, spices, finely chopped garlic, dill and cilantro. Dilute the puree with a little broth to make the sauce thinner. Pour the mixture into pre-sterilized jars, close and store. Serve tkemali with meat dishes, sausages, grilled fish.
