Yellow Cherry Plum Tkemali (Georgian Plum Sauce) for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make tkemali from yellow cherry plums? Gather all your ingredients. The cherry plums can be any size. Add the spices to taste. If you have dried dill, parsley, basil, or marjoram, feel free to add them. If your garlic cloves are small, use 4–5. Have jars ready, about 0.8 liters total.

2. Step 2:

   

   Sort through the cherry plums, pull off the stems, remove any debris, and rinse them well in several changes of water. Break a few open and check for worms. If you find any, sort through them all, keep the clean ones, and pit them. If there are none, cook them whole.

3. Step 3:

   

   Get your cooking pot ready — a heavy-bottomed saucepan is best, so the tkemali won't scorch. Put the cherry plums in and mash them a little to get the juices going.

4. Step 4:

   

   Bring to a boil over low heat and cook for 20 minutes.

5. Step 5:

   

   If you cooked the plums already pitted, skip this step. Transfer the plums to a colander or sieve and push them through, leaving the pits behind.

6. Step 6:

   

   Return the plums to the pot and purée them until smooth with a blender. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

7. Step 7:

   

   Add the salt, sugar, and spices. Taste it — if it's too tart, add sugar a little at a time until it tastes right. Peel and rinse the garlic and mince it with a knife or press. Stir the garlic into the tkemali and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Wash and sterilize the jars well. I pour boiling water in a thin stream into the bottom of each jar, about a quarter of the way up. To keep the jar from cracking, don't let the water hit the sides. I cover it with a lid and leave it for 10 minutes, then drain the water — the jar is ready. I boil the small jars and lids for 10 minutes. Ladle the tkemali into the jars and seal them. Turn the jars upside down onto their lids, wrap them up, and leave them at room temperature for a day. Store in a cool place.