Weekend Cooking: 2 Recipes for Preserving the Summer

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I love this time of year at the farmers market--the tables are still overflowing with produce and especially some of my favorite fruits: Italian (prune) plums, apples, peaches, and pears.

I usually spend the fall baking crisps, cooking up applesauce, making chutneys, and otherwise preserving summer goodness. Because there's just the two of us, I've gotten into small-batch processing, and because I no longer bother with canning, everything has to be freezer friendly.

This week I made prune plum chutney and peach butter. I developed the recipes by reading a few books, doing an Internet search, and then combining a little from this source and a little from that source. So these are more or less my own recipes.

Each makes only a couple of pints. I put half in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer. I've never tried to scale up these recipes or tried to can them, so I can't help you on those accounts. I can, however, tell you that the results of these recipes are delicious!

Italian (Prune / Stanley) Plum Chutney (recipe by Beth Fish Reads)

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 generous tablespoon grated gingerroot
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion (to taste)
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 cups seeded and quartered prune plums (about 20)

Mix the sugars and cider in a 6-quart heavy stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Add the raisins, ginger, onion, garlic, mustard seeds, salt, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix well. Add the plums and stir to coat.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer, stirring frequently, 60 to 70 minutes. The mixture will reduce and thicken. About halfway through the cooking process, taste the chutney and adjust the spices and sugar to your taste.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and let sit about 15 minutes to cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to jars and store in the refrigerator for a few months or in the freezer for even longer.

Note: So how will you know it's done? I've read all kinds of tests (see if the chutney will mound on a plate, see if you can make a clean space on the bottom of the pot, etc.), but if I keep the chutney at a slow simmer for 60 to 70 minutes it always sets up once cool. So I don't test.

Peach Butter with Basil (recipe by Beth Fish Reads)

• 7 cups cut-up peaches (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated gingerroot
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Place the peaches, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, butter and basil in a 6-quart heavy stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer, stirring frequently, about 60 minutes. About halfway through the cooking process, taste the peach butter and adjust the spices or sugar to your tastes.

Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to break up the cooked peaches. (Don't worry about a few lumps.) Turn the heat back to medium-low and return the peach butter to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a bowl and let sit about 15 minutes to cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to jars and store in the refrigerator for a few months or in the freezer for even longer.

Note: So how will you know it's done? Like the chutney, I don't do a test. I have never had an issue with the butter setting up as long as I cook it about an hour before blending it. Note too, that the consistency should be like a thick applesauce. This will not set up like a jelly or jam.