Fermented Plums: Salty Sour

wrinkly, rubbery plums

Introduction

So. Many. Plums.

The kids picked loads (loads!) of unripe plums. The barn is fairly cool so I stashed the plums there to ripen slowly and hoped I wasn’t asking for an invasion of ants.

The plums sat while we went away to Hawaii for 10 days.

The plums sat while we prepared for a puppy.

The plums sat for weeks.

Then they were sweeter but oddly rubbery. I jammed the ripest ones and decided to ferment the rest - sour style and boozy style. Here we have sour. It is based on a recipe from the Noma (a Danish restaurant) fermentation book.

Getting Started: Ingredients, Tools and Method

• Combination of Salt + Veg and Brine + Veg (2%) Methods

• Mason jar, glass weights, silicone airlock

• Diamond Kosher Salt

• A whole bunch of plums, pitted and diced into 1/2”chunks

• Dehydrator

• Fermentation time: 5-7 days

First, I salted the plums (2% by weight). Since the rubbery plums were not especially juicy they did not create enough brine to cover so I topped it off with a 2% brine per the recipe recommendation.

Noma suggests further processing the plums by drying them. I put half of mine in the dehydrator (leaving the brine behind) and let dry at 135F for about 4 hours.

Observation Notes and Results

• As noted I did, indeed, need to top off with a brine

• 5 days seemed sufficient - the plums are certainly interesting. They are pretty salty and definitely sour.

• No mold developed despite it being sugary fruit

• After dehydration I was left with chewy sour plums.

I think these are pretty good. They are both more-ish and an acquired taste. Let’s just say I’m the only household member to approve of this ferment. I’m trying to think of ways to use them … perhaps on a charcuterie board with a hard aged cheese or in a rice salad. I prefer the chewy more flavorful plums than the wet briney ones.