Plum Sauce

Plum trees produce abundant amounts of fruit, but there is only so much jam we can eat. This sweet and savory sauce makes a special dinner with no extra effort. A perfect combination with chicken, this sauce is a traditional condiment for Chinese food. 4 pounds of plums will make about 4 pints of plum sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds plums • 1 cup cider vinegar • 2 cups brown sugar • 1 cup white sugar • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger (or mince a 1” piece of ginger) • 1 Tbsp. salt • 2 Tbsp. mustard seed • 2 Tbsp. chopped green chilis • 3/4 cup chopped onion • 1 clove garlic

Supplies

• Water bath canner • Canning jars, seals, and rings • Large pot • Canning funnel, lid lifter, and jar lifter • Ladle and bubble tool

Procedure

Start by preparing jars and getting water in the canner heating. You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed. See page xx for full water bath canning instructions. 1. 2.

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8. Pit and chop plums. Combine vinegar, sugar, spices, peppers, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Pour plums into brine mixture. Cook until the mixture is syrupy thick, 1 to 1½ hours. Stir often! Pour into hot jar, leaving 1/4” headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim clean, and place on seal and ring. Place the jar in the warm canner. Proceed to fill all jars. Process according to chart below.

Processing Times for Water Bath Canner (Hot Pack)

Altitude

0-1,000 ft 1,001-3,000 ft 3,001-6,000 ft 7000-8000 ft 8,001 – 10,000 ft

Pints

20 minutes 25 minutes 30 minutes 35 minutes 40 minutes

SHARON’S TIPS FOR PLUM SAUCE

Cooking Down the Sauce

You’ll want to cook your sauce down until it is syrupy in thickness. The length of time will depend on how juicy your plums are. A wider pan will give more surface space for evaporation and will shorten the time required. Be sure to cook on low and stir often to avoid scorching.

Acidification

Do not skip the vinegar. This has lots of added ingredients to the plums, and what will keep it safe for the water bath is the added vinegar. You can substitute white vinegar if you don’t have cider vinegar. It will have a slightly different flavor.

Like Some Heat?

If you like a little extra heat, you can use spicier peppers. If you want mild, use mild green peppers.

How to Use Plum Sauce

This sauce is perfect for making plum chicken. Just pour some over your chicken and roast, basting a couple of times during cooking time. Or you can pour it over some chicken in a slow cooker. It will be a thinner consistency in the slow cooker but is so very good! Plum sauce can also be used as a dipping sauce with bite-sized chicken pieces and some vegetables for a chicken stir fry.

Adapted from Resource:

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ sites/default/files/documents/8836/ sp50586preservingplumsandprunes.pdf

Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.