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448 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
RECIPES FOR USE OF OUR NATIVE PLUMS. 
COMPILED BY PROF. E. S. GOFF, MADISON, WIS. 
These recipes have been contributed by several ladies who have 
had long experience in using the native plums. The native plums, 
especially those with firm pulp, after being treated by any of the 
methods mentioned below are well adapted to all purposes for which 
the foreign plums are used. As a rule, more sugar is required for 
the native plum, but the preparations are richer in proportion. The 
harshness in the skin and stone of some native plums is readily re- 
moved by steaming them in an ordinary cooking steamer until the 
skin cracks, or pour over them boiling water to which has been added 
common baking soda in the proportion of half a teaspoonful to a 
quart. The thicker-skinned varieties may be readily peeled by plac- 
ing them in boiling watertwoorthree minutes. The recipes follow. 
Stewing.—Use ripe fruit and stew in just water enough to keep 
them from burning until nearly soft, then add sugar to suif the 
taste. 
Canning.—Pick the fruit when wellcolored but a little hard; steam 
or cook in a porcelain-lined kettle until tender; putin cans that have 
first been treated to boiling water, and cover with boiling syrup 
made of equal parts of granulated sugar and water, filling to the top; 
then runa silver knife around the can inside to let out the air,and seal 
at once. Plums cooked in the syrup are likely to be tough. Canned 
plums may be used for pies and for mixing with or flavoring other 
fruits. Plums are often canned without sugar, to be used in winter 
for making fresh plum butter. The juice of canned plums makes 
excellent jelly. 
Drying.—Desota, Wyant and, doubtless, other varieties may be 
pared, pitted, spread on plates, lightly sprinkled with sugar and 
dried, first in the oven and laterin the sun. Cook like dried peaches. 
Plum jelly.—The fruit should be gathered when only partly ripe 
—about half colored. This point is very essential. Put plumsina 
large granite or porcelain kettle—the latter is betier—with barely . 
enough water to cover them. Cook until tender but not until they 
are ina pulpy mass. Having previously covered a large jar with a 
cloth, strain the fruit in and let the juice drip through, but do not 
squeeze. When all has drained through, strain once or twice more 
through another cloth, until the juiceis perfectly clear. To one meas- 
ure of juice provide one measure of granulated sugar, but do not 
put together at once. A very important point put in the making of 
all jelly is that only a small quantity should be cooked at one time. 
Into a medium sized kettle put, say, four tumblers of juice; let it 
boil briskly fifteen or twenty minutes, then add the four tumblers 
of sugar, and in a very short time—usually from three to ten min- 
utes—the jelly will be finished, light, clear and delicious. To test 
the jelly, dip a spoon into the boiling. juice and sugar and hold it 
up; when the jelly clings to the spoon in thick drops, take it off 
quickly and put into jelly glasses. The plum pulp which is left can 
be put through a colander and used for plum-butter. 
$ 6 gto. 
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