Recipes from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Plum Sauce
Makes about four pint jars
2 C lightly packed brown sugar
1 C granulated sugar
1 C cider vinegar
3/4 C finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped seeded green chili pepper
2 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped gingerroot
10 C finely chopped pitted plums
1. In a large stainless steel saucepan combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, vinegar, onion, chili pepper, mustard seeds, salt, garlic, and gingerroot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add plums and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until thick and syrupy, about 1 3/4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars, and lids.
3. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2in headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot sauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar and secure band.
4. Bring water to a boil and process for 20mins. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 mins, then remove jars, cool, and store.
The sidebar has this to say:
This sweet and slightly spicy sauce is perfect with Asian-style foods, as well as chicken and pork, and is tastier that similar store-bought sauces.
Tips
The kind of chili pepper you use will determine the degree of heat in your sauce. Recommended peppers are Anaheim, New Mexico green chili, poblano, or jalapeno. Jalapeno is the hottest so if you prefer a spicier sauce, use it when making this recipe.
Plums in Syrup
Makes about eight pint jars or four quart jars
6 to 10lbs plums
1 batch hot syrup
Raw-Pack Method
1. Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
2. Using a fork, prick whole plums in several places. Pack plums into hot jars to within a generous 1/2in of top of jar. Ladle hot syrup into jar to cover plums, leaving 1/2in headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot syrup. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
3. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 20min and quart jars for 25mins. Remove canner lid. Wait 5mins, then remove jars, cool, and store.
Hot-Pack Method
1. Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
2. Using a fork, prick whole plums in several places. In a large stainless steel saucepan, one layer at a time, warm plums in hot syrup over medium-low heat until heated through, about 2 mins per layer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer each batch to a bowl and keep hot. After all the plums have been heated, remove saucepan from heat and return plums to the syrup. Cover and let stand for 30mins. Return to a boil before packing.
3. Using a slotted spoon, pack hot plums into hot jars to within a generous 1/2in of top of jar. Ladle hot syrup into jar to cover plums, leaving 1/2in headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot syrup. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
4. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 20min and quart jars for 25mins. Remove canner lid. Wait 5mins, then remove jars, cool, and store.
When raw-packing plums, we recommend using a light or medium syrup. When hot-packing plums, we recommend a medium or heavy syrup.
Here's how to make syrups for canning: In a stainless steel saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low to keep warm until needed, taking care not to boil the syrup down. Allow 1 to 1 1/2 cups of syrup for each quart jar of fruit.
For light syrup, use 2 1/4 C of granulated sugar and 5 1/4 C water. This will yield 6 1/2 C of syrup.
For medium syrup, use 3 1/4 C granulated sugar and 5 C water. Yield 7 C syrup.
For heavy syrup use 4 1/4 C granulated sugar and 4 1/4 C water. Yield 7 C syrup.
Plum Juice
This gives directions on how to make juice to use in jelly.
In a large stainless steel saucepan, place washed, quartered plums. (It is not essential to pit the plums, however, removing the pits before cooking reduces the bulk of the solids that must fit in a jelly bag or strainer.) Add 1/2 C water for each 1 lb plums. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat, cover loosely and boil gently, stirring and crushing plums occasionally, just until plums are softened, about 20mins. Do not overcook, as it reduces flavor, color, and strength of the pectin.
Transfer plum mixture to a dampened jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheescloth set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed for at least 2 hours or overnight to collect juice.
*For each cup of plum juice, you will need about 9 plums.
