Among housewives, pickled plums are extremely popular among a wide variety of recipes for canning for the winter. The demand for this traditional homemade preparation is explained by the simplicity of its preparation, unique taste and aroma, and the possibility of being consumed both in its pure form and as a component of salads and a side dish for hot dishes.
Features of preparing soaked plums for the winter
The main features of preparing pickled plums are the following:
- careful selection and preparation of fruits;
- use only enamel or glass containers;
- preparing a special solution for fermentation - brine;
- strict adherence to the chosen recipe;
- fermentation of fruits filled with brine for a certain time - from 2-3 to 30 days;
- It is obligatory to use currant leaves and cherry twigs, which are used to cover fruits drenched in brine, so that they do not float up during fermentation.
Fruit preparation
The fruit preparation process includes the following manipulations:
- Sorting - fruits collected for preservation are carefully inspected for rot, damage by pests, and diseases. For pickling, choose hard, unripe fruits with an even dark blue color.
- Washing – the selected plums are thoroughly washed under running water in a large container.
- Drying - washed fruits are laid out in an even layer for drying on a cotton towel or other clean cloth.
Plums prepared in this way can be safely poured into pre-sterilized containers.
Preparation of containers
Most often, soaked plums are prepared for the winter in three-liter glass jars.
Prepare each jar as follows:
- Add a pinch of baking soda to the jar.
- Using a foam sponge, thoroughly wash the walls and bottom of the container with soda.
- Use steel wool for frying pans to remove traces of rust from the neck of the jar.
- The washed jar is rinsed under cold running water, turned upside down and placed on a dry towel so that the drops of water remaining on the walls of the container completely drain.
- The jar is sterilized by keeping it in an oven preheated to a temperature of 120-150 0C for several minutes or by treating it with steam over a boiling open kettle.
When sealing cans of preserved food for long-term storage, the sealing lids used for this are also thoroughly sterilized by placing them in a saucepan with boiling water.
How to soak plums in jars for the winter?
Among the wide variety of recipes for this preservation, the most popular are both simple versions, including a minimum number of components, and more complex, multi-component ones, but at the same time differing from traditional ones in original taste and smell.
Traditional recipe
According to the traditional recipe, pickled plums are prepared as follows:
- 10 kilograms of fruit are poured into an enamel bucket or pan.
- Prepare the brine - dissolve 200 grams of granulated sugar and table salt in 5 liters of cold boiled water.
- The fruits placed in the container are filled to the top with brine.
- A pressure is placed on top of the container - a wooden circle with a load placed on it.
- To ferment the fruits, the container is placed in a warm place for 3 days.
Store the prepared preserves in a cellar or basement for 2-5 months.
Fast way
You can quickly prepare pickled plums using the following recipe:
- 10 kilograms of fruits are poured into 3-liter sterilized glass jars.
- 8 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt are dissolved in 5 liters of water.
- The resulting brine is boiled, then removed from the heat and placed to cool.
- 250 milliliters of 9% vinegar are poured into the cooled brine.
- Jars with plums are filled with cooled brine and closed with nylon lids.
The finished preservation is placed in a cool place - cellar, basement.
Simple recipe
According to this recipe, pickled plums are prepared as follows:
- 10 kilograms of plums are poured into prepared 3-liter glass jars.
- 200 grams of sugar and salt are dissolved in 5 liters of cold water.
- The brine is boiled over low heat, after which it cools down to room temperature for some time.
- Jars with fruits are filled to the top with cooled brine, covered with currant leaves on top.
- For fermentation, the container with fruits filled with brine is covered with clean gauze and placed in a warm place for 6-7 days.
- A week later, the gauze is removed from the jars, the currant leaves are removed and, if necessary, boiled cold water is added.
Containers with finished preservation are closed with screw or nylon lids and stored for 5-6 months in a cool place.
Option with malt
Pickled plums, which have an original taste and smell, are prepared according to this recipe as follows:
- 10 kilograms of plums are placed in sterilized glass jars.
- 3 tablespoons of salt and 10 tablespoons of granulated sugar are dissolved in 5 liters of water.
- The brine is boiling.
- 200-250 grams of dry rye or wheat straw are poured into the bottom of an enamel pan or bucket.
- The straw is poured with hot brine and infused for some time (3-5 minutes).
- The brine is filtered through a colander.
- Jars with fruits are filled with hot brine and closed with nylon lids.
- To ferment fruits filled with brine, the jars are placed in a warm place for 3 days, after which they must be removed to a cool cellar or basement for a month.
After a month, plums can already be eaten, used for making salads, and as a side dish for various dishes.
With mustard and spices
Pickled plums, which have a very pleasant taste and unique aroma, are prepared according to this recipe as follows:
- 10 kilograms of plums are poured into an enamel bucket or pan.
- To prepare the brine, 10 tablespoons of sugar, 1.5 tablespoons of salt are dissolved in 5 liters of water, 50 grams of whole bay leaf, 25 grams of mustard powder are added.
- The brine is boiled over low heat, after which it is allowed to cool for some time.
- The cooled brine is poured into the container with the fruits.
- The container is covered with oppression and placed in a cool place for a month.
Ready preserves can be stored in a basement or cool cellar for 4-5 months.
With honey
To prepare pickled plums with honey you need:
- Pour 2 kilograms of plums into a three-liter jar.
- Dissolve 150 grams of liquid honey and 0.5 tablespoons of salt in 2 liters of warm boiled water.
- Fill the container with the fruits to the top with brine and, closing with a nylon lid, place in a cool place for 10 days.
- After 10 days, put the jar in a cool place for a month.
Canned food will be ready for consumption in 30 days.
With mustard and aromatic herbs
According to this recipe, soaked plums are prepared in the same way as with mustard and spices, replacing the latter with fragrant herbs - 3 green shoots of mint, a teaspoon of dried and crushed oregano.
With rye bread
According to this recipe, soaked plums are prepared for the winter as follows:
- 10 kilograms of plums are placed in an enamel pan or bucket.
- 250-300 grams of rye crackers are placed at the bottom of another container and filled with brine from 5 liters of water, in which 200 grams of sugar and salt are dissolved.
- The brine is boiled over low heat, after which it is allowed to cool to room temperature and filtered through cheesecloth.
- The cooled brine is poured into a container with plums, a pressure is placed on top and placed in a warm room for 2 days.
When fermentation stops, the preservation is placed in a basement or cellar for a month, after which the plums can already be eaten.
Storage of workpieces
Store the finished preserves in the basement, cellar or refrigerator, at a temperature not exceeding +5 0C.
