Pickled prunes for the winter in jars: 3 step by step recipes, storage conditions

Plum is one of the best fruits to preserve. Its main advantage is the richness of taste and the ability to keep its shape well during heat treatment. You can find thousands of recipes for jam and compotes from plums on the Web, but today you can hardly surprise anyone with this. The same can't be said about pickled prunes, a rather rare but tasty snack that is also easy to prepare.

Cooking secrets

Not all varieties are suitable for pickling prunes. The variety "Hungarian" (another name is "Ugorka") is considered optimal in taste and properties. These plums are firm, with firm flesh and hold their shape well when cooked.

To preserve the elasticity of the fruit, cognac is added to the marinade - in a symbolic amount (1-2 tablespoons per 1 kg of fruit). Cognac not only improves the properties of fruits. It also imparts an exquisite spicy flavor and aroma.

Vinegar is present in most recipes. There are no clear recommendations regarding its type: you can use both ordinary table vinegar and apple or wine, whichever you prefer.

Preparation of containers and products

When picking fruits for pickling, give preference to firm, undamaged, not fully ripe. This will save the dish from turning into a puree. Before cooking, the fruits are carefully sorted out, discarding those that have a hint of defects, cuttings are removed and washed well under running water.

Like any preservation, seaming pickled prunes requires jars to be sterilized. Sterilization can be carried out by any of the known methods:

• on a steam bath: boil water in a saucepan, then put a colander or sieve on it, and jars upside down on it. Sterilization time - 10-15 minutes;
• in the oven: washed jars are sent to an oven preheated to 160 degrees and left there from 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the volume of the container;
• in a double boiler or microwave oven according to the instructions for use of the equipment.

How to pickle prunes for the winter in jars?

Pickling prunes for the winter is no more difficult than making jam or compote from it. At the same time, you can roll it up in jars in the usual way or pasteurize it.

Easy recipe

The easiest way to prepare prunes is to marinate them whole, right with the pit.

List of ingredients:

• plums - 1 kg;
• water - 0.75 l;
• sugar - 1 cup;
• citric acid - 2 tbsp. l.;
• anise - 1 piece;
• black pepper - 3-5 peas;
• cloves - 3-5 pieces;
• cinnamon - 0.5 sticks;
• bay leaf - 1-2 pieces;
• cognac - 1 tbsp. l.

Choose firm, semi-ripe plums without external defects, remove cuttings and wash well. Then tightly put into jars of the desired volume.

Boil water in a saucepan and pour it over the plums to the necks. Let the fruit stand and cool.

Now drain the water back into the pot, add the remaining ingredients (except brandy) and simmer after boiling over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Two minutes before removing from heat, add cognac to the marinade.

Pour the prunes in jars with the finished spicy marinade again and roll them up in the usual way: using a key or special screw caps. Your meal is ready!

No spice sterilization

You will need:

• prunes -1 kg;
• water - 1 l;
• s alt - 1 tsp;
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l.;
• peppercorns - 12 pcs;
• star anise - 4 pcs;
• cloves - 6-8 pcs;
• juniper berries - 3-4 pieces;
• cinnamon - 2 sticks;
• table vinegar - 100 g;
• dill - 1-2 sprigs;
• horseradish - 1 sheet.

Prepare the fruit: wash thoroughly, remove cuttings, check for spoilage and hardness of the fruit. Cut the plums in half, leaving the pit intact.

In a saucepan with water, mix s alt, sugar and spices: pepper, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, juniper - and put on a quick fire. When it boils, remove the pan from the heat, pour in the vinegar. Dip the plums into the marinade and let stand for a while.

In a liter jar, put horseradish leaves with dill and add prunes with marinade. Send the resulting workpiece to be pasteurized in a water bath for 10-15 minutes. Pickled prunes are ready, it remains to cool it in a cool dark place.

With cloves

There are a lot of recipes for pickled prunes with cloves. Cloves are present in almost all savory recipes. But if you are a fan of cloves as a dominant spice, this recipe is especially for you. You will have to be patient, because the cooking process is not fast, but it is worth it!

So, you will need:

• plums - 2 kg;
• cloves - 5g;
• bay leaf - 7-8g;
• vinegar - 200 ml;
• sugar - 600g

Search and clean the plum cuttings, wash them. Add bay leaf and cloves to the fruit container, mix well.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and vinegar and boil until the sugar dissolves. Pour the plums with the resulting syrup and let them brew for 12 hours.

Don't worry about the little marinade. Each time, its amount will increase due to its own plum juice.

After 12 hours, drain the marinade and boil it. Then pour them over the plums again and leave for 12 hours. Repeat these steps five times.

Before the last boil, evenly spread the spices into jars, put plums in them and pour boiling marinade over them. Screw the lids on the jars and leave in a cool place for a month.

Rules and terms of storage

Like any other type of preservation, pickled prunes should be properly stored in a dark, cool place. A basement or closet is ideal if it's not too hot.

If the plums were marinated without pits, preservation is stored for 3 years, while maintaining freshness and taste. If the bones were not removed during the cooking process, the shelf life is reduced to 1 year due to hydrocyanic acid, which gradually begins to penetrate from the bones into the marinade.

Properly stored, pasteurized prunes retain their taste and quality also for 1 year.

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