Wild plum barbecue sauce

Managing the abundance of wild plums when they’re in season can be daunting because they have a high pip‑to‑flesh ratio, which means they’re time‑consuming to prepare for jam or chutney. This sauce allows you to cook the fruit whole, then remove the pips.

Wild plum barbecue sauce. Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Rochelle Eagle

• makes

  5 cups

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  55 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz) ripe plums, washed (or hawthorn berries, see Note)
• 3 cups malt or brown vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 10 black peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 300 g (10½ oz) brown sugar
• ⅓ cup fish sauce
• 1 tsp ground smoked paprika
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Combine the plums, vinegar, water, garlic and whole spices in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the fruit is super-soft and squishy (20-30 minutes). Allow to cool slightly.
2. Smush the plums and liquid through a mouli or sieve (see Note) to remove the pips, skins and spices. You should end up with a pulp the consistency of runny yoghurt.
3. Transfer the pulp to a clean heavy-based saucepan and add the sugar, fish sauce, paprika and salt. Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened (15-25 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, sterilise some bottles or jars and lids.
5. Using a funnel, pour the sauce into the hot sterilised bottles and seal immediately.
6. Cool, label and store in a cool, dark spot. Refrigerate once opened.

Notes

• This method of cooking the fruit whole, and then using a food mill or sieve, allows you to to remove the pips more quickly than if you cut them out to begin with.
• A mouli is much easier on the biceps than a sieve, but it still takes time to remove all the skins. I start with the mouli plate that has large holes, then shift to a smaller-holed plate and pass the mixture through again.
• This sauce is also delicious made with foraged hawthorn berries, or you can make a more Asian‑inspired plum sauce by subbing out the smoked paprika and adding cardamom, star anise and orange zest instead.

This is an edited extract from Everyday Permaculture by Anna Matilda, published by Hardie Grant Explore. Photography by Rochelle Eagle.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.