fredsoldhouse, I made rhubarb-ginger this year --- yum! Agree with you that it's a great plant. Underappreciated! (Do you know it used to be called "pie plant" in the 19th century?) Like Annie, I think I should plant more! My plant has been in big pot for several years while I dithered about where to put it permanently in the garden. Even so, it produced enough for a batch of jam and a bout of baking last year. This spring I promised it I'll give it a real home in the ground..... Z P.S. I've canned a rhubarb-raspberry sauce some years; great over ice cream or over oatmeal in the winter for a burst of summer flavour!

Nancy, I would not decrease the whole allspice from 1 ounce as shown unless you do not like allspice. Since these are whole berries used in a seasoning sack, and given the quantity of the other ingredients, I do not believe that 1 Tbsp of whole allspice (as you suggest) will be too much. Most of such spices in our world cabinets were also not picked/packaged last month. The chutney is to be simmered for 2 to 3 hours and all the spices in the sack/bag/spice holder are discarded. Chutney that I have eaten always have "strong taste response" for lack of a better phrase. Just my thoughts. Jim in So Calif

Ken's right. Some European cookie presses (don't know about Mirro) include a fat long tube attachment for inserting cream and jellied fillings. OK, I promised some plum recipes. I used Italian Prune-Plums for these recipes. We have gobs of them available locally and they're meaty and sweet. I would guess these recipes would be more tart with some other varieties. I have loads of old recipes using plums, so if these don't fit the bill, let me know. The first is the only one I haven't made, so I can't personally vouch for it, but the combination sounds intriguing. Plum and Peach Conserve (from the Farm Journal Canning and Freezing Cookbook) 3 cups ground sweet plums (Italian prunes) 3 cups mashed peaches 6 cups sugar 2 medium oranges Combine plums, peaches and sugar in large saucepan. Add grated peel from 1 orange, juice from 2 oranges. Cook, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes or to desired consistency. Ladle into sterilized hot jars to within 1/8" of top. Wipe rims; adjust lids. Process BWB 5 minutes. Makes 4 pints. Plum Conserve (an old Kerr recipe) My oldest Kerr book provides the first version; a newer Kerr book the second minor variation: Plum Conserve (very, very rich) 4 pounds plums (8 cups cut up) 2 lemons (juice and grated rind) 6 cups sugar 1 pound seedless raisins 6 cups sugar 1 cup walnuts Wash plums, remove seeds, weigh fruit. Combine all ingredients except nut meats. Cook until thick. Blanch nut meats 2 minutes, drain, cut or chop. Add to mixture just before removing from heat. Pour into sterilized KERR jars and seal while hot. (BWB 10 minutes.) Plum Conserve #2 4 pounds plums (8 cups cut up) 4 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 cup seedless raisins 6 cups sugar 1 cup walnuts Same directions. Plum Conserve #3 (from So Easy to Preserve) 2 1/2 quarts chopped, pitted plums 3/4 cup thinly sliced orange peel 2 cups seedless raisins 1 1/2 cups chopped orange pulp (about 2 large) 6 cups sugar 2 cups broken pecan or other nuts Sterilize canning jars. Combine plums, orange pulp and peel, raisins and sugar; slowly bring to boiling, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly almost to jellying point, about 15 to 20 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Add nuts the last 5 minutes of cooking. Pour hot conserve into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims; adjust lids. Process 5 minutes BWB. This prune cake was posted by Lisbet at the Recipe Exchange; AnnT made the recipe but toasted the walnuts. Prune Sour Cream Cake Serving Size : 12 1 1/2 cups Sunsweet Prunes (use already pitted, soft prunes) 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 2 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup soft butter 1 cup granulated sugar -- * I use 3/4 cup 2 large eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped English walnuts Pour boiling water over prunes. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain, pit, and dice prunes. Add lemon and set aside. Grease and flour 9" tube pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt; remove 1/4 cup and toss with prunes. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Slowly beat in flour mixture, alternnately with sour cream and vanilla, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in prunes. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Turn 1/3 batter into pan. Sprinkle with 1/3 brown sugar mixture, repeat layering twice. Bake at 350 F. 55 minutes or until done. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Description: "Coffee Cake Type. Tried and True! Very, very good!!" Source: "from the back of Sunsweet Prune box" I've had this recipe about forever. Don't remember the source. My notes say it's a "simple homely dessert or snack - almost a coffee cake." 1 1/2 cups chopped purple plums 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 egg, beaten 1 tsp. grated orange peel 2 cups flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 cup buttermilk Nut Topping: 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup chopped nuts 1 tsp. cinnamon Pit and chop plums to measure 1 1/2 cups. Set aside. Blend sugars, egg and orange peel. Sift dry ingredients. Add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, stirring well after each addition. Stir in plums. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 350 35 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream. Now that I've remembered this one, I'm making it tonight. And finally, this recipe, including my notes from the first time I baked it. Purple Plum Pie Recipe By : Farm Journal's Best-Ever Pies Categories : Desserts  Pies and Pastries Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 cups sliced, pitted purple plums (1 1/2 pounds) 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 unbaked pie shell (9-inch) 1 tablespoon lemon juice Spicy Topping 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 cup butter or margarine Combine plums, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in bowl; mix well. Arrange plum mixture in unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Prepare Spicy Topping and sprinkle over plum mixture. Place pie in brown paper bag. Fold over open end twice to close and fasten with paper clips. Carefully place on baking sheet. Bake in 425° oven 45 minutes or until plums are tender. Cool on rack. Makes 6 to 8 servings. NOTES : I didn't bake this in a paper bag. (Images of my oven on fire!) I baked at 400 15 minutes and then 350 approximately 45 minutes (hour total). This is an incredible recipe, perfect proportion of spices. The only complaint is 2 tablespoons of cornstarch was insufficient for the juicy plums. I would use more thickening, probably a mixture of flour and tapioca. This pie is very "drippy." Next time I'll use a baking sheet. Carol

If the recipe contains honey, adding commercial pectin won't help because (with the exception of Pomona's) honey+pectin=syrup. Honey presents some challenges in jam-making. Generally it doesn't react with the fruit and acid in the same way as sugar. It has a different structure and the results will also be different. Honey is acid. In one way it's an advantage in that it makes honey a less-hospitable environment for bacteria, but the acid in the honey can throw off the sugar-acid-pectin balance. Honey is more liquid, and you have to cook the jam longer to a higher temperature than sugar to achieve a set. So the best option at this point would be to put the jam back in the pan and cook it some more. It might be safest (less risk of over-cooking and getting a scorched or caramelized flavor) to put it in a shallow pan in the oven and a fairly low temp and cook it until it's the thickness you like. What you'd basically be doing is "dehydrating" the jam but it's the least-invasive best-control method for driving off any excess water remaining. For future reference, the rule of thumb is with added pectin you can replace up to one cup of the sugar with one cup of honey. If its a "no-commercial-pectin" recipe, you can replace up to half the sugar with honey. Honey does have more sweetening power and at higher levels not only are there problems with the gel but also the flavor of the honey tends to mask the flavor of the fruit. Good luck and let us know how things turn out. Carol