Imagine that your freezer is already full of tin foil containers, with the words “plum crumble Aug 2009” scrawled on the top of them and yet every time you look out of the window, your plum tree is still loaded with more ripe plums than there are at Covent Garden? On top of the fact that your garden is now a refuge for every wasp within a five-mile area ,what do you do with them? You can’t let them rot…..can you? And then as so often happens in life, you find the answer at the bottom of a bottle , in this case, a vodka bottle . A simple solution, make your own plum vodka!
Today, 10 months later is decanting and tasting day. I tried two different methods so it will be interesting to see which has worked best. I will post both recipes later this week if you want to try.
Delight! The colour of the vodka is a wonderful delicate pink and when I open the kilner jars, the aroma is definitely of plums. First, I taste the straight vodka, which is just basically plums stuck in a jar with vodka and a little sugar syrup and left for a long time. It is surprisingly good, colour is marvellous and the taste is delicate, the plums themselves are hard and inedible, but they have done a good job.
Secondly, I taste the batch made by gently stewing the plums in sugar syrup, cooling and then adding vodka. Oh my, equally good, but a lot sweeter. The colour is just as good, but the main difference is that the plums are soft, delicious and alcohol laden.
The bottles are placed in the fridge for future consumption after dinner parties and there’s only one problem…It is 11.30 on a Tuesday morning and I have a very nice plum vodka buzz going on….oh well!
The Bombay Boys 
This is SO cool! Would it work with different fruits, and would it be possible to do it in a tiny kitchen just left in a corner? Plus, most importantly, does it count towards one’s five-a-day? I’m going with “yes”.
Yes, it works with all sorts of fruit, lots more ideas and recipes to follow, limoncello next week. It is ideal for a small kitchen, although put it in the cupboard in the dark, don’t leave it out. I’m going with “yes” as well, on the 5-a-day question.