Plum Applesauce

My plum tree had not one plum on it this year. I forgot to take to it with a piece of four by two around the base, stress it into fruiting. I will have to remember this year. 

Me, Mum and the girls went out to a friends farm to pick some though. It was a plum tree out in the middle of a paddick, with it's upper roots exposed out of dusty soil. It had obviously taken a beating from the sheep over the years too. The tree was stressed and it was loaded!

The girls laughed as they yelled "Hello Mrs. Sheep", and me saying, "Watch out for the sheep poo". Mum broke a small branch off each for the girls and they helped fill up the two buckets of plums. 

I hesitantly took home one of the buckets. I wasn't overjoyed with having to do something with them but at the same time, love a challenge.

I made 9 jars of plum jam, and three bottles of plum applesauce. The following is the recipe to make the plum applesauce, it's easy.


1kg peeled, seeded and quartered apples
1kg seeded plums
1/4 cup water 
1/4 cup sugar

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. 
Bring to the boil, then simmer on low for 1 -1 and a 1/4 hours.

Blend with a stick mixer or in a blender. 

Place into hot sterilised jars.

I am sure there are many different fruit combinations that you could use instead of apples or plums.

With a basic sauce like this you could add in other flavours like ginger, chilli, onion and garlic to make a dipping sauce or add a bit of BBQ sauce for a marinade for pork or chicken.

I had it just like it is on yogurt for breakfast yesterday. You could use it with whipped cream or over ice cream too(like I did after dinner).

Plum and Port chutney

We didn't get many plums this year. I have to prune our tree properly. Myself. The last time it was pruned, a couple of years ago, Brett did it. I could hear him out there, I was feeding Izzy at the time, and I was telling myself "trust". Gotta love him. I could have cried.

It has just finished fruiting, we got about 5 plums. Dismal. So I need to prune it NOW, all the crossing and inward facing branches and beat it about the trunk. Yes I mean beat it. Frighten the living daylights out of the tree and give it a bash around the trunk with a piece of four by two, not damage it completely but scare it into fruiting next year. Sounds silly doesn't it. But I did it years ago and the next year got a bumper crop!

Mum's got plums, and of course, she gave me some, well forced them on me. Not complaining though, they are yummy. I love these ones.

I like finding recipes like this. Ones that sound interesting, enough for me to be inspired to cook stuff, like chutney. I changed it a bit, the original had real spices, I had a half a bag of mixed spice in the cupboard. It called for dried cranberries, hello, none of those. 

Plum and Port Chutney

1 kilogram plums

1 cloves garlic, chopped

250 grams chopped onion

100 grams chopped apple

1 1/2 tspn mixed spice

100 gr soft brown sugar

150 mls white wine vinegar

100 mls port

Deseed the plums, and chop (I quartered them). Place in a large saucepan with all ingredients except the port. Bring slowly up to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the port and simmer for another 40 minutes. 

Put into jars. Leave the chutney for a month before use to let the flavours meld.

 I can't wait to try this out with some cheese and crackers.

To sterilise the jars, I put them in the oven, and lids, at 150 degrees for 20 minutes. Use them straight out of the oven, don't forget to use a dry tea towel or oven mitt. 

DO NOT put hot jam into cold jars or cold jam into hot jars, the glass will shatter. If you don't have lids, you can buy round cellophane toppers with rubber bands, jar labels usually come with these too, at the supermarket. 

The left over port goes well at night as well as a night cap, warming, calming and uplifting all at the same time. Take it from me!!