Our landlady had a part in our lease agreement included for us to pick two grocery bags of the plums each season and delivering them to her. Mrs. Emerson liked to pickle the plums, and she always shared a few jars with us. I was not familiar with pickled plums at the time ... I tried to imagine a plum being pickled like a dill pickle and that just sounded odd to me.
The first time Mrs. Emerson brought us a jar of plums, I admit I was a little skeptical. I took a bite, though, and it was unlike anything I’d tasted before. Cloves, cinnamon and ginger burst forth. (No sign of the dill and garlic that had been on my mind.) They were delicious!
Over the years, I’ve thought about Mrs. Emerson and her pickled plums, especially during this time of year when plums are in season. Spying Italian plums at the market recently, I decided to try to recreate hers.
Cloves were a dominant flavor, along with cinnamon and ginger. After adding and tasting, tasting and adding, I arrived at a close approximation of Mrs. Emerson’s.
Click here for my recipe: http://www.bluekaleroad.com/2011/10/mrs-emersons-pickled-plums.html
