Home › The Principles of Cookery › Plums in Vinegar

Plums in Vinegar

Take three pounds of mussel plums, sound and ripe, and rub them with a soft cloth. Boil a pound of loaf sugar in a pint and a half of vinegar, with a dozen cloves, and a quarter of an ounce of stick cinnamon. Put in the plums, a few at a time, and let them simmer gently. As the skins crack, lift them carefully out, and put them on dishes to cool. When they are cold lay them on dishes to cool. When they are cold lay them in deep jar, and shake them to make them lie closely together. They ought not to be at all soft. Boil the vinegar and sugar a few minutes longer, then pour it out, and when it is cold strain it over the plums, which it ought to cover entirely. Leave the jar in a cool place for a week. At the end of that time strain off the syrup and boil it. If the plums are hard, pour the syrup hot over them; if soft, let it get cold first. Cover the jars in the usual way, and store in a cool place. If liked, half a pint of claret may be put with each pint of vinegar. These plums are excellent served with roast mutton.