A great thing to make with those lovely, sweet end of season plums is plum butter.

Pick and wash your plums then combine:

• 4 lb ripe plums with pits removed
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Cook the plums until they are soft then put through a food mill.  Put in a 200 degree oven until the mixture is cooked down and thick.  You can also cook it down on the stove top but then it will need to be frequently stirred or it will burn.  It’s terrible to pick, pit and cook your plums only to have them burn at the end!

Once the mixture has thickened either put in jars then freeze or refrigerate or you can also put the butter into sterilized canning jars with new sealing tops.

For information on safe canning please visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Ripe prune plums