Ingredients
1.5kg dark plums
3 cups sugar
1½ cups (375ml) vinegar
3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons whole cloves
15g sliced fresh ginger


Method
Mix all ingredients together in a pot. Place over a medium heat and stir to dissolve sugar. After sugar is completely dissolved, bring to the boil and simmer until plums are very soft, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes too thick, more vinegar can be added before removing from heat. Remove from heat and strain mixture to remove stones, skins and whole spices.

Pour immediately into clean, hot, sterilised jars, and seal. Leave the jars to cool. Store in a cool, dark place.

Note on sterilising jars: Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water. Rinse well in hot clean water. Place the jars in the oven on about 120-150°C for 15 minutes or more. Place lids in a pot of water and boil for 15 minutes or more.

Note on bottling: When bottling, you should always aim to have the steralised jars and sauce at around the same temperature. Therefore, you take the jars directly from the oven and place them on a wooden chopping board. When the sauce is boiling, quickly remove it from the heat, and begin filling the hot jars immediately using a jug or soup ladle dipped in the pot of sauce. The moment you finish filling all of your jars, drain your lids and put them straight onto the jars of hot sauce tightly. Use a damp sponge to clean the outside of the jars from spilled sauce. Leave the jars to cool, label them, and then store.