What to do with all those plums?

This week Whole Foods has plums on sale for $.99lb! That is a great price in my opinion, but what to do with all those plums? Aside from just eating them the usual way, I don't really have much experience with plums. I scoured the recipe books and the net and found two you might enjoy.

Purple Plum Pie: (this one seems easy)

Ingredients

• 4 cups sliced fresh plums
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pastry shell

TOPPING: 

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons cold butter or margarine

Directions

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients; pour into the pastry shell. For topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Cover edges of crust during the last 20 minutes to prevent over browning. Cool on a wire rack.

Frozen Plum Yogurt (definitely going to try this)

Ingredients:

• 
  
  • 2 lb Plums -- pitted & chopped
  • 3/4 cup Sugar -- or substitute
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 32 oz Nonfat Yogurt -- vanilla

 Directions:

In saucepan combine plums, sugar, cinnamon stick and 1/2 C water. Bring to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 min. until plums are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; discard cinnamon stick. 

In food processor or blender process plum mixture until smooth. Press plum puree with back of spoon through sieve set over bowl. Discard skin and pulp. Stir yogurt into plum puree. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Or pour plum-yogurt mixture into 9" sq. metal baking pan. Cover and freeze for 2 hours until firm.

In food processor process frozen plum-yogurt mixture until smooth. Place in same baking pan; freeze 2-3 hrs. more until firm. Let stand 10 min. before scooping.

Do any of you have a plum recipe you'd like to share? Leave a comment below!

 

 

Drying Blueberries

Maine is right in its peak for blueberry season. They are everywhere this year, from the u-picks to the local farm stands. Even grocery stores have been offering rock bottom prices for a few weeks now. This is the time to stock up. We all know how it goes when the snow begins to fall, a half pint at the local grocer will likely run you $5-6. Who really buys them for that price anyway? If only there was an easy way to capitalize when the pickings are good and have blueberries year round. Fortunately there are countless ways of preserving blueberries that don’t take too much time or effort. Freezing is often a popular choice, but not very versatile. They work great in baked goods and smoothies, but defrosted blueberries are too mushy for much else.  A great alternative is drying blueberries. They taste great, store well, and can be used in a variety of ways. These make an excellent school snack choice. Here is the basic way to get it done!

• Set oven to lowest possible temp. Mine is 170 degrees.
• Line cookie sheet with wax paper to prevent sticking.
• Wash blueberries well, and remove stems, leaves etc.
• Spread the blueberries one layer thick over pan.
• Bake in oven for 6-10 hours until the blueberries resemble raisins & are leathery. (time varies with blueberry sizes)
• Store in bags or jars in a cool, dry place. In ideal conditions they can last up to a year.

There is no end to the possibilities with this delicious berry! Cook them in your favorite recipes, sprinkle on salads, or just eat them plain. So go pick some up cheap, before its too late!