Harvest Recipes ~ Spiced Plum Sauce

In the fall, when fruit trees like plums and apples are plentiful, I am always looking for really good recipes to preserve the abundance of the harvest. If you have a dark plum or I’ve heard them being called an Italian plum tree know someone who does, this is a really fantastic sauce to make with an abundance of plums.

My mom has a fabulous plum tree in her backyard and year after year it produces copious amounts of dark purple plums. I’m not sure exactly what kind they are but they are quite tart and sweet and pretty yummy eaten fresh, but they are even better when they are turned into some delicious sauces, like this yummy spiced plum sauce.

I always try and include the kids in picking plums and other fruit and veggies from the homestead orchard and garden. Gabe especially loves to help out with the plums (the girls usually love when it is raspberry picking season, that is their favourite ).

Some Health Benefits of Eating Plums

The vitamin C in plums helps your body heal, build muscle, and form blood vessels. It’s great for your eyes, too.

Here are other ways that plums are good for your health:

• Heart disease.  Phytochemicals and nutrients in plums lower the inflammation that triggers heart disease.
• Anxiety. A plum a day may keep anxiety away. When your antioxidants are low, anxiety can be high.
• Constipation Relief. Plums, like prunes, can also help keep things moving through your system. They have a lot of sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that acts as a natural laxative.
• High blood pressure and stroke. The potassium in plums is good for blood pressure control in two ways. It helps your body get rid of sodium when you pee, and it lessens tension in the walls of your blood vessels. When your blood pressure is lower, your odds of getting a stroke go down.
• Rich in antioxidants. These substances protect the body against the cell and tissue damage that can lead to diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer.
• Reduce blood sugar. Plums are chock full of fiber, which helps slow down a blood sugar spike after you eat carbs. They can also boost your body’s production of adiponectin, a hormone that helps regulate your blood sugar levels.
• Bone health. Research on animals shows prunes (dried plums) may help reduce bone loss, and may even reverse it.

Plum Nutrition

One cup of sliced plums has:

• Calories: 76
• Protein: 1 gram
• Fat: Less than 1 gram
• Carbohydrates: 18 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Sugar: 16 grams

Plums are also a good source of:

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin K
• Folate

Prunes, which are dried plums, have the same nutrition benefits, but they’re much higher in sugar. One cup of pitted prunes has 66 grams of the sweet stuff.

One cup of prunes also has 12 grams of fiber. That’s why they’re a common home remedy for constipation. That fiber also gives them a low glycemic index, which means they help control your blood sugar.

Spiced Plum Sauce Recipe

This delicious sauce is great on many things including pork chops and even ice cream!

5-6 lbs plums – pit and chop into small pieces

6 c. sugar

1 1/3 c. white vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Wash plums and leave skins on plums. Remove the pits from the prune plums and chop the plums into small pieces. In a large pot mix together all ingredients and bring to a slow boil, stir constantly.

Simmer for 12-15 minutes. Store in sterilized jars.

As an added bonus of this recipe, this yummy spiced plum sauce makes your house smell yummy and Christmassy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe for spiced plum sauce, let me know in the comments what kinds of different meals and foods you try it out on.

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• Storing the Harvest: Best Ways To Preserve Food