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Green Plums or Greengages in Sugar

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 kg nice, still somewhat firm plums (greengages)
• 1 pinch baking soda or alum
• 1 kg sugar (same weight as the plums)

Instructions

1. Clean nice, still somewhat firm plums with a cloth, prick them several times with a darning needle, and place them in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water once.
2. The next day, place them in fresh water, add a pinch of baking soda or alum when boiling, and let the plums boil a few times.
3. Drain on a colander, weigh them, and take the same weight in sugar.
4. For 1 kilogram of sugar, use about a quarter liter of the cooking water, clarify the sugar and bring it to a boil, pour it boiling over the plums, and let stand for 24 hours.
5. The next day, drain the sugar, reduce it slightly, and pour it over again; repeat this on the third day, this time adding the plums as soon as the sugar boils and cooking them along.
6. Afterwards, remove the plums, let the sugar reduce until thick, pour it over the plums, and only seal the jars once the fruits have cooled.

Modernized from a treasured 19th-century German cookbook.