Another Recipe - Sweet Pickled Plums

It has been a while since I posted a secret recipe.  It is plum time again and the tree at this house is so full of fruit that the branches are almost trailing on the ground.  I have picked loads and frozen them, with the stones in, waiting until I have time to make some plum jelly, the best jelly in the world.  I will also make some of this beautiful Victorian recipe.

Sunday
7^th October, 2001
Sweet Pickled Plums

'I made these in the summer and forgot to write down the recipe. I haven't tried it yet because the 6 months haven't passed. I gave a jar away and now have a large jar left. (Did try it and it was beautiful with ham and very moorish).

It must have been a short ceremonial meeting, maybe just one day, because here I am writing down this recipe on the Sunday. I remember making this quite clearly when I found this recipe in a book with Victorian preserve recipes. I couldn't believe it would work out well, it looks quite weak and odd when first made, but it was smashing at Christmas – they were eaten like spicy plums!'

I love plums, especially Victoria plums eaten warm on a sunny day in the Summer, sometimes with puppies round my feet. Perfectness. I think I have told you this before!

Ingredients:

2 lb stoned plums

2 lb sugar

1 ½ pints distilled vinegar

1. Put fruit in the saucepan and cover with water, cook until soft and then drain.
2. Put sugar and vinegar in another pan and heat stirring all the time until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for 30 minutes.
3. Add fruit to the vinegar and boil for 15 minutes and then pour into the preheated jars
4. Cover and seal as usual.
5. Store for 6 months before using.

Four patchwork bags

I have been making bags for the past few weeks to show that patchwork and quilting is not just about big bed quilts.  On the 30th August we will have Enrolment Day for the U3A and I shall take these bags and some quilts to decorate my signup desk!

We went to the Festival of Quilts last Thursday and I bought this pattern.  It is a huge bag with pockets for ruler and cutter and big enough for an A2 mat, perfect for class.  Here are the pockets -

This bag is called a twisted patchwork bag and I learned to make it at a class in Barrington Quilting.  I am waiting for the pattern to turn up.  Luke and Caroline gave me the fabric for mother's day, I love blue and white.

This was supposed to be a small version of the blue and white bag, but I couldn't remember how to make it - no pattern - and it went wrong, so I turned it into a drawstring bag without a lining and put lots of beads inside.  I especially like the Japanese endings of the drawstring!

This is a perfect bag for a child - I made it with five inch charm squares - and put an elephant button on the front for more decoration.  Here is the lining and the elephant button.. 

The pattern for this bag came from the Popular Patchwork magazine and used half a charm square pack.  I am very inclined to cut up some five inch squares from my stash and make another one, they are so easy to make and so attractive, especially for a little girl.
If I make another one, I shall put the stages on this blog.  Please leave a comment if you would like to see step by step instructions for it.