I have to admit, I used to think that expression was horribly condescending. “See all those people getting cake? Too bad, you get lemons. Now quit complaining and go drink some lemon juice.”
Perhaps it’s the pessimist in me, or a case of middle child syndrome. But then I moved to California and life literally gave me lemons. I was walking home from the grocery store past a house with a giant lemon tree. I said something to the owner along the lines of, “Hey, nice tree.”
He said, “Thanks. Here. Take a bunch. I have too many!”
Turns out, I had the expression wrong. Getting free stuff is awesome! But, you need to know what to do with it. And this post isn’t actually about lemons.
Yesterday, my wife came home with a bag full of the most beautiful plums that a co-worker gave her. So what do you do when life gives you plums? Make plum sauce!
The basics are pretty simple: for every pound of plums you’ll need ¼ cup of sugar (preferably brown), ¼ cup of vinegar (preferably cider), and a pinch of salt (preferably Kosher).
Hack up the plums a bit, then throw everything into a pot and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20-30min (longer if you have a lot of plums, shorter if it’s a small batch). The pulp will separate from the skins and pit, creating a thick purple paste. Pass the whole mess through a sieve to get rid of the skin, the pit, and whatever else you put in.
I added a splash of soy sauce, a few big pieces of ginger, a cinnamon stick, star anise, and a good squirt of Sriracha.
Pour into a clean container and refrigerate. Use your preferred method of canning if you want to store it long term.
Now you might be tempted to think, “Eric sure is lucky; all I got were these stupid peaches.” That’s okay! This method works for a remarkable number of fruits, including, but not limited to, peaches. Feel free to vary up the seasoning, and try some different vinegar and sweeteners.
Enjoy!
-Chef Eric