Damsons or plums are wonderful late summer fruits and are excellent for baking and cooking. Here we have a few tips about these fruits:
Damsons and plums
Plums are round to oval and, depending on the variety, can be violet, red, green, dark blue, or yellow. Damsons belong to the plum family and only differ in appearance, as they are more elongated. Mirabelle plums are the small, yellow sisters of the damson and are very aromatic.
Plums and damsons are excellent additions to any baked goods. It is worth using the late bloomers here, as they develop their natural sweetness when boiled. Early harvested fruits, on the other hand, become sour through this procedure.
When buying plums or damsons, you should pay special attention to firm flesh. When storing them, it depends on whether you want the fruits to ripen further or not. If they should ripen further, simply store them at room temperature; if not, keep them in the refrigerator, where they will last for a maximum of one week. Damsons and plums have a waxy, white natural protective layer, which should only be washed off just before processing. This layer protects them from drying out.
Those who want to keep damsons for longer can also store them well in the freezer. They will last for about a year there. It is best to halve the damsons and remove the pit for this. If you want to freeze them whole, place the fruits on a tray in the freezer so they do not stick together.
Processing damsons and plums
Damsons or plums can be used as puree, compote, jam, schnapps, or in cakes, chutneys, or sauces. Here are a few recipes:
Compote
Plums can be preserved very well by heating, so a quick compote is a good option here.
What is needed
- 500 g plums
- 250 ml water
- 4 tbsp sugar
- possibly cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, or ginger
Instructions
Pit the plums, quarter them, and bring them to a boil in a pot with the water, sugar, and possibly the spices. Then fill immediately into sterilized twist-off jars, seal tightly, and turn upside down briefly. This compote will keep for about 2 weeks. Or fill into a plastic container, seal well, let cool, and freeze – this makes it last for 6 weeks.
I always add 1 small cinnamon stick and 2-3 cloves to the cooking, which tastes very good and goes perfectly with Kaiserschmarrn.
Plum butter
What is needed
- 3-4 kg plums
Instructions
Pit the plums, chop them up, and steam them in the dripping pan of the oven at medium heat. When the fruits are soft, reduce to a lower temperature (e.g., approx. 150 °C) and let thicken for 2-4 hours. The puree can be seasoned as desired. Fill into sterile jars while still hot and seal immediately.
Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Read also: Plum cake recipe
