OT Plum butter

Sounds delicious; I must try it soon. I always have apple butter in the frig, so other ones should join it.

Thanks Shron & Juno.

Emily

Sounds good! Barbara in SC

I think the expression is yummy, yummy. DH loves it! Juno

ooooh!!! That does sound yummy!!!!

I now have 30 half pint jars and 8 pint jars of apple butter and about the same amount of peach jam in the pantry. :) A bunch of the half pints will go for Christmas presents to neighbors and friends. Gotta keep enough on hand though to make the DS happy. (he's kind of a jelly/jam/butter junkie. LOL)

Sharon

I have always loved butters, jams and preserves and have the waist line to prove it. You have very lucky neighbors and friends to be on the receiving end of your goodies. We tried a little of the plum butter when it got cold. I was in heaven. Juno

Hm... This year's damsons are ripe and I still have a bunch in the freezer from LAST year! Maybe I should try this recipe... Sounds like a good way of reducing a glut to manageable proportions!

You have damsons! they are the very best. I have a very week spot fir damson preserves. If you have you have a slow cooker and a lot of plums it would be easier that way and require a lot less watching. I had to keep a very close eye on it to be sure it didn't burn as it thickened. I don't think you would have to use the apple juice concentrate in the same proportions. You could also use apple cider. Juno

Just to check terms as we may be divided by a common language here.

Apple juice concentrate - 100% pure juice, but concentrated? Added sugar or not? & how much would you dilute it by to make it to normal strength?

Apple cider = I think this is what we call apple juice, just straight

UK Apple cider = US hard cider

Thanks

Lizzy

Apple juice concentrate in the US is a frozen concentrate of pure apple juice. There is no sugar added. It is reconstituted by adding 3 parts water to 1 part concentrate. Apple cider is a fresh presses apple product that may or may not be pasteurized. In NY State, where I live, it's hard to find it in an unpasteurized state. If you leave the unpasteurized with out refrigeration you will either end up with hard cider (fermented alcoholic juice) , vinegar or a big mess. Years ago my DH brought some to my mom from the local cider mill. It was in a glass bottle, she left it in store room and about a week later it exploded and there was hard cider and glass everywhere. It was a very big mess.lol. Hard cider can be purchased here in NY State in package stores (Stores that sell alcoholic beverages). I hope I made the explanations clear. As you say common language. Americans speak American English and it should probably be called "The American Dialect." Juno

I don't think we have this over here, certainly not in grocery stores and supermarkets, it may exist for caterers. I have occasionally seen frozen OJ concentrate though.

Over here that would be fresh pressed apple juice, but most usually pasteurised.

That must have been a nasty lean up job.

Over here it can be bought anywhere that has a licence for beers, wines & spirits - even though it is none of the above. That means off-licences (that can only sell for consumption OFF the premises, supermarkets, most corner shops and convenience stores and of course pubs)

Thanks Juno, the explanations were exceedingly clear, and when cooking as when sewing it is important to use the right stuff.....

Lizzy

You can buy liquid apple juice concentrate from some specialist health food stores.

Some places sell freshly pressed-as-you-watch apple and OJ. Deeee-lish! :D

Sticky... I saw (and heard!) the explosions when a friend and neighbour's ginger beer exploded in his garage!

And my local cider farm! Single variety juices and a range of sweet, medium, dry and mulled cider.

I may try the apple concentrate just to see what happens. I know how to live dangerously! ;)

Yes, I do have a slow cooker.

Jealous - no cider farms round our way, well not in staggering distance ;-)

Living dangerously is good fun

Me too and I keep trying to use it more.

Lizzy

I've sent you and KAte a private email. Juno

Back in my (attempted) domestic period, I used a slow cooker to make things that needed to simmer, because if I tried that on the stove, I ended up with a crusty pan to scrub. I managed to make decent apple butter and catsup (ketchup) and I have been told it's a good way to make barbecue sauce. Do y'all use barbecue sauce there?

It's great for spaghetti sauces and stews that need long, slow cooking, of course.

I recently picked up a second-hand slow cooker in a thrift store with the intent of cooking down all those little slivers of soap I don't seem to be able to throw away. But it's such a nice little cooker..... Did I mention that my mother and grandmother talked about the Great Depression a lot?

Noooooo!!!! Those little slivers make perfect tailors' chalk.

Mine too. ;-} I wonder what our great-grandchildren will remember about the current "Great Recession".

This year the entire family is going to the Honeycrisp Harvest for younger DD's birthday, then driving on around to Timberline Lodge for a celebratory brunch.

Received loud & clear, thank you! I'll be playing when I get a chance - not this weekend as it is DMIL's 70th birthday and we are helping with the open house & buffet.

Lizzy

I wanna come too! We used to have a cider mill close by,but it h as fallen into disrepair. There's a group that has been trying to save it for years but just can't get the funds they need. I wish they could. It was a fall ritual for us to take the children there. Nothing tastes like fresh pressed cider. The stores sell what is labeled cider, but it's not the real thing. Juno

I like my slow cooker for sauces, soups, baked beans and next it will be apple butter. Don't like for actual meals such as stew because I think everything comes out tasting the same. Juno