Friday 19 August 2022

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier....


We have some wonderful semi-wild Plum Trees here in France. The fruits are about the size of a Damson, red, and NEVER have bugs inside them; probably on account of their acidity. I believe they are also known as Bird Plums.

We occasionally make Plum Sauce with them, but more often they go towards our Winter stock of Plum Jam; amusingly known as 'Mumsy's Plum Pip Jam'. Mumsy being the mother of our brood (Lady M)!


It would be crazily time-consuming to take out all the pips, so they stay there; and just like children we count them all afterwards.


Mine went as far as Sailor.... I didn't look to see how many Lady Magnon counted.

p.s. 2021 Jam verdict: Very good 9/10 (1 point off for the pips)

23 comments:

  1. Looks delicious ..... what's a few pips between friends ? I think the deducted point was a bit harsh !!!!! XXXX

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    1. I had to fish-out three pips; that's almost enough for the deduction of two points.

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  2. Just so long as one of the pips doesn't turn out to be a broken tooth, as happened to P a few years ago.

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    1. I recently found TWO Olive pips in a pack of di-pipped anchovy-stuffed Olives. Luckily I didn't break any teeth, but I was tempted to complain!

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  3. A pip doesn't sound so bad, it's when they are stones. However, along with a clafoutis, I much prefer the hard work of de-stoneing to be done before cooking.

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    1. Cherry pips come out so much easier. Trying to de-pip these small Plums is almost impossible.

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    2. Use a cherry pitter, same as for cherries.

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  4. My mum always left the pip in the jams for the same reasons, but told us they made the jam taste better.

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    1. I'm sure it's better all round; probably sets better too!

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  5. It's a long time since I've heard of that game, Tinker, Tailor. I must introduce my foreign grandchildren to it.
    Love plum jam, sauce . Better pips than no jam

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    1. I've never minded pips in my jam, or in anything; as long as I know they're there.

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  6. I imagine "Mumsy's Plum Pip Jam" being sold commercially with ads on the TV. The scene is set on the terrace of a luxurious property in the Perigord region of France. A 76 year old beardie man in a bath chair is having toast for breakfast. He has smeared "Mumsy's" jam over it and he is smiling as though he is in Nirvana. A husky Swedish voiceover (female) is heard, "I can be your Mumsy too!" and a jar appears in the final shot with the slogan "Mumsy's: For the taste of plum heaven".

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    1. I think I know just the family for the main starring roles!

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  7. Plum pip jam sounds so delicious! Just pick those pips out and proceed with breakfast--no big deal.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, they're not a problem, and probably make it taste better too.

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  8. There is probably a device for removing the pits. I have one for cherries

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    1. Cherry pips come out very easily, these are more 'glued' to the flesh, and are difficult to remove.

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  9. Homemade jam using your own plums is the best. The freshness and taste makes up for a few pips. I hope you are able to take many jars back to Brighton and can enjoy the jam through the winter months.

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    1. The one above was made last year, unfortunately we had no plums at all this year due to late frosts. Next year maybe. We still have another two jars from 2021.

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  10. I never learned the art of making preserves. It's on my to-do list. Thank you for reminding me. (Thank goodness for YouTube.) Your plum jam looks divine.

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    1. Personally I cheat. I use special Jam Sugar, and always use far less sugar than is suggested; usually 600 gms of sugar to 1 kg fruit. Plus a splash of Lemon Juice. It hasn't failed me yet!

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  11. I helped make plum jam from home grown plums. The pits were free-stone, didn't cling. Just whirl the knife 360 degrees around the longitude and it halved and the stone could be plucked out.

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    1. Our large Plums are like that; no problem. But these small semi-wild ones are quite different. Taking the pips out is impossible.

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