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The plum tree in our backyard is following its true selfless nature of bearing fruit. It provides the foragers, the birds and squirrels and yes, us!
Thankful for the Abundant tree a plum , vanilla, honey butter is born.
Cooking the plums for hours over a medium low heat is an amazing experience if you let it BE !
The whole house was fragrant with tones of plums and vanilla and then honey. There was a heightened sense of awareness especially for the nose and the eyes. As the plums cooked their color and smell changed. The added caramelization and reduction added a richness .
A truly MiNDFUL exercise.
Here is the intuitive recipe:
8-10 cups plums ( 7-8 pounds approximately ), washed well 2-3 cups honey depending on the sweetness desired 4 vanilla beans slit
Place plums in a large pot. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil on medium heat. Lower heat and keep on simmer for about an hour and a half, gently stirring every 20 minutes or so. The plums were truly mushy and falling apart. Let them cool and fish out the pits that had sort of settled at the bottom. To get a smooth texture , put the plums through the food mill. They , then went back into the pot with the vanilla beans in. Once again, simmering on a low heat and this time being stirred every 10-15 minutes. You don't want them to be charred at the bottom. I enjoyed the stirring as i am a follower of the traditional principle of transferring the cook' s energy and intention to the food. This was my loving energy in the plum butter in the making. If you don't have the time this can be done in the slow cooker/ crock . After several hours( almost 5 hours for me ) the mush had thickened and it was time to sweeten it. Whether you add honey or sugar , you will need to cook again on low heat for 15-20 minutes at least. Cool and Jar! Share and Enjoy!
Yield :1/2 to 3/4 gallon depending on the consistency!