Cozy Autumn Prep: Gathering Free Decor & Making Plum Nutella l Rural Ireland

A slow end-of-summer weekend in the Irish countryside, gathering rose hips, fern, ivy and branches from the garden to prepare for autumn, drying basil from the greenhouse, and making the most of the last plums from the tree.

I’m making a plum chocolate spread, a little like a healthier homemade Nutella, and a spiced plum & apple chutney

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Ingredients
3 kg sweet, ripe plums, stones removed
300 g sugar
200 g dark chocolate
50 g cocoa powder

Method
Wash and stone the plums, cut into pieces and place in a saucepan. Add the sugar, stir, cover and leave for 2–3 hours.

Cook over a low heat for 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, cook again until thick, around 30–60 minutes, stirring often. Cool slightly and blend until smooth.

Add the broken-up dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly, until completely combined.

🍎 PLUM & APPLE CHUTNEY

Ingredients
1 kg plums, stoned and chopped
500 g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 onions, finely chopped
100 g raisins or dried cranberries
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
300 ml red wine vinegar
500 g light muscovado sugar
2 tsp salt

Method
Put everything except the sugar and salt into a large pan and slowly bring to the boil.

Cover and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the fruit has softened.

Add the sugar and salt and stir until dissolved.

Simmer uncovered for 45–60 minutes, stirring often, until thick.

A little note: I ran out of red wine vinegar while filming, so I used apple cider vinegar in mine.

The chutney is a refrigerator recipe, not a tested shelf-stable canning recipe. I would also treat the plum chocolate spread as a refrigerator preserve unless following a separately tested shelf-stable canning recipe.

Thank you for spending another quiet weekend with me 🤎


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