How do you make 13.6kgs of plums fit in 3 jars? Suck all the moisture out of them of course! I've been using my favourite new toy, a 9 tray dehydrator, to leatherise the plums my lovely brother gave me. There would have been 4 jars if they weren't so darn tasty!
After a little tweaking (but definitely no twerking), and one very sub-par batch I think I've got it all figured out. I've been removing the pips and putting the plums in a pot over low heat, with a squeeze of lemon and a trickle of rice malt syrup then letting them cook until they're beginning to fall apart. I then blitz them up with a stick blender until smooth, smear over baking paper (nice and thick) then bung in the dehydrator until they're pliable and leathery. Mine take about 18 hours on medium heat.
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The first batch I made I didn't cook the plums, just blended them up, smeared and dehydrated. Fail. They were brown, ugly, stiff and tart enough to make your lips pucker. The plums were probably a bit under-ripe which wouldn't have helped. The latest batches are shiny, deeply coloured and a joy to eat- still tart but definitely in a good way now.
This last photo is not plum related in the slightest but I was caught by the beauty of all the various colours, shapes and sizes of seeds sitting in bowls waiting to be soaked and later filled into the sprout trays...
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Tell me, if you like, what interesting things are growing, cooking and eating?
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