#2. Homemade jam and preserves
Over the summer, my roommates and I, along with some of our friends, all got really into canning. We harvested what seemed like dozens of bushels of plums from the tree in our yard and made tons of jam, jelly, and chutney. We had plums coming out of ears so I got a little silly and started experimenting with things like pickled plums, a plum syrup I used in seltzer and a Polish plum butter. We also made all sorts of pickled veggies and other fun things, like a mint-jalapeno jelly. The fruits of our labors, pun intended, came in handy for the holidays this year. After all, what makes a better gift than homemade jam and pickles?
Apparently, unbeknownst to me, my aforementioned 20-year-old brother had the same thought. We got a good laugh when we opened each other’s Christmas presents. I’d given him some of the plum jelly and pickled veggies we’d made while he gave me some homemade gooseberry-plum jam and red pepper jelly. What’s that they say about great minds?
I’ve been really enjoying my gooseberry-plum jam on toasted Rudi’s gluten-free bread along with a little butter. Yum! It’s a great way to remind myself of summer’s bounty when there’s snow on the ground.
You inspired me. Toast and goosey plum for me too!