METHOD:

You can use these recipes for any plum-type fruit, home-grown or store bought; Italian, Damson, Yellow, Greenage, or any sweet plum. With wild plums, which are generally high in acid, use acid tester or cut down to 3 lb. per gallon.

1. Wash, drain, and remove stones. Chop into smaller pieces.

2. Put in nylon straining bag, crush and squeeze juice into primary fermentor. Keeping pulp in bag, tie top, and place in primary.

3. Stir in all other ingredients EXCEPT yeast. Cover primary.

4. After 24 hours, add yeast. Cover primary.

5. Stir daily, check Specific Gravity, and press pulp lightly to aid extraction.

6. When ferment reaches S.G. 1.040 (3-5 days), squeeze juice lightly from bag. Siphon wine off sediment into glass secondary. Attach lock.

7. When ferment is complete (S.G. has dropped to 1.000 -- about 3 weeks) siphon off sediment into clean secondary. Reattach lock.

8. To aid clearing, siphon again in 2 months and again if necessary before bottling.

To sweeten wine, at bottling at 1/2 tsp. stabilizer, then stir in 1/4 - 1/2 lb. dissolved sugar per gallon.

VARIETIES

Japanese (Prunus salicina) and European (P. domestica), Plums are attractive as well as productive 15' - 20' trees. European plums are more tart and not as juicy as Japanese plums. Here are some self-fertile varieties to try: Damson, Greenage, Italian Plum, Santa Rosa and Stanley.