Post by bk on Aug 16, 2015 16:16:26 GMT -5
The plums are ripe and ready here in NW Wisconsin.
A number of years ago I ordered some "wild" plum seedlings from a nursery in Michigan. They have been great. Bees love the early blossoms. I like the fruit. Some years just a few plums and others like this year, I have plenty. Great flavor and juicy. Make a great jelly. And eating them off the tree brings back memories from a childhood long ago.
And they make another great treat...
My sister lives just south of Door County, WI, a place well known for cherries. She makes what is called in that part of Wisconsin, Cherry Bounce. I don't have cherries, but I have plums, and they work great.
Fill (and I mean pack) a quart or larger jar with washed raw plums - leave pits in. I stick each one with a knife. Loosely fill the jar with sugar and then fill with vodka or any clear alcohol. I pack in the plums as tight as I can, leave the sugar loose, and fill with what ever vodka is on sale. Cover with a lid, tuck in the back of the fridge, and let stand. Being semi-senile, I forget about them for 6 weeks of longer. Plums get hard and tough and are almost worthless, but the resulting "Bounce" has a great plum flavor and is something to be sipped and enjoyed. Truly a treasure when found in the back of the fridge, unlike some of my science experiments that grow back there from time to time.
One winter, after enjoying all the "Bounce", I added another cup or so of sugar and refilled with vodka and started the aging again. Worked just as well, just took longer to infuse. My sister used a light rum one year with the cherries and that was pretty darn good as well. Lots of room to experiment.
Give some Plum Bounce a try, I think you'll like it.
