Plum is a drink created to make up for the lack of wine in prisons. It was distilled by inmates using makeshift tools, so it didn't always taste good. Preparing the plum is quite simple, but you have to be careful because you risk creating an environment suitable for the proliferation of botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism, a potentially fatal food poisoning. That's why you need to be extremely cautious when making this homemade wine.
Ingrediants
Handcrafted Pruno
- 10 oranges, peeled and chopped into coarse chunks
- 10 apples, cut into coarse chunks
- 225g sugar, plus 15g (separate)
- 2 large teaspoons (7 g) of yeast
- 475ml water, plus 250ml hot water (separate)
- 225 g of mixed fruit in syrup
- 45 g of raisins
Traditional Pruno
- 10 oranges, peeled
- 225 g of mixed fruit in syrup
- 475 ml of water
- 50 sugar cubes
- 6 teaspoons (30 ml) of ketchup
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Prepare the Artisan Pruno
Step 1. Prepare the necessary tools
The inmates had few ingredients and tools available to prepare the plum, but at home you are free to use all the tools that can simplify your life and the best ingredients to create a special version of this homemade wine. To prepare the plum you will need:
- The hand blender;
- A wooden spoon;
- A large pot;
- A small tureen;
- A 4 liter sealable food bag;
- A clean towel
- An electric warmer;
- A colander;
- A muslin cloth to filter;
- A large tureen;
- A funnel;
- A bottle or glass jar with a lid (sterilized).
Step 2. Blend the fruit
Cut the apples and oranges into coarse chunks, put them in a large pot and add the canned fruit and raisins. Use the hand blender to turn the ingredients into a soft and juicy but still coarse puree.
Move the blender around the bowl as you blend to reach all the ingredients
Step 3. Boil the fruit
When the puree is ready, add 225g of sugar and 475ml of water. Stir thoroughly, cover the pot with the lid and then put it on the stove. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep it from burning.
When the fruit, water, and sugar mixture begins to boil, adjust the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes to kill any bacteria present. Stir at regular intervals
Step 4. Chill the fruit
After letting it simmer for half an hour, remove it from the heat and let it cool. It must not cool completely, the temperature must remain a few degrees higher than the ambient one to favor the action of the yeast. Occasionally stir the fruit puree as it cools.
It will take about 30-60 minutes for the puree to reach the appropriate temperature
Step 5. Activate the yeast
Put it in a bowl, dissolve it in 250 ml of hot water and add three teaspoons of sugar. Wait 5-10 minutes to give the yeast time to activate.
If a slight foam and bubbles form on the surface of the water, it means that the yeast is alive and active
Step 6. Add the yeast to the fruit puree before transferring it to the bag
Pour the water in which you dissolved the yeast over the pureed fruit and then mix to combine all the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to the food bag and squeeze it to let out as much air as possible before sealing it.
It is important that the fruit mixture is still slightly warm otherwise the yeast will die
Step 7. Store the mixture in a warm, dark place
Wrap a towel around the bag to keep the ingredients warm, then place it on top of an electric warmer turned on at a low temperature. Store everything in a dark and warm corner of the house, for example in a closet.
- If you don't have an electric warmer, you can fill a bottle with hot water. In this case, check the water temperature often and replace it when necessary.
- The mixture of fruit, water and sugar should be kept warm to keep the yeast alive. The fruit will ferment and its sugars will turn into alcohol.
Step 8. Let the gas escape from the bag at least once a day
The yeast will convert the fruit sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide causing the bag to swell slowly. To prevent it from bursting, open it a couple of times a day to let the gas and pressure escape, then rewrap it in the towel again.
- Seal the bag before wrapping it in the towel again, then store it in the dark on top of the electric warmer on.
- When the bag stops swelling, it means that the yeast has done its job and has turned all the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, so the blackthorn is finally ready. It will take about 5 days.
Step 9. Filter the blackthorn
When you notice that the bag doesn't swell anymore, it's time to strain the blackthorn. Line a colander with the muslin cloth and place it on top of a tureen. Pour the plum into the colander and let it drain, the cloth will retain the pulp while the liquid will fall into the bowl.
Squeeze the muslin cloth with the fruit pulp inside to extract as much liquid as possible
Step 10. Transfer the blackthorn to a bottle and cool it before drinking
Use the funnel to easily pour it into a sterilized glass bottle or jar. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let the plum cool for several hours or overnight before serving.
Use a bottle or jar with a two-liter capacity
Method 2 of 2: Prepare the Traditional Pruno
Step 1. Prepare the necessary tools
The idea behind this recipe is to best replicate the steps that were taken by inmates, when the tools available were few and sometimes unsuitable for use. You don't need modern or complicated tools, you just need:
- A 4-liter sealable plastic bag;
- Three clean towels;
- A basin or sink;
- Running hot water;
- A strainer or a clean t-shirt or sock.
Step 2. Stir and mash the fruit
Separate the orange wedges and place them in the bag with the fruit in syrup. Seal the bag carefully and then press the fruit with your hands to break it into small pieces.
- The fruit is ready when the pulp and juice have mixed together evenly.
- You can substitute some oranges with apples, peaches, pears, or any other fruit available.
Step 3. Add the water and heat the fruit
Temporarily open the bag to pour the water into it, then seal it again. Once closed, place it in a basin or sink, turn on the hot water tap, let it run for it to boil, and then immerse it completely. Leave the fruit in the hot water for 15 minutes. Add new boiling water every 5 minutes.
If you don't have a bowl or sink stopper handy, let the boiling water run directly over the sealed bag for 15 minutes
Step 4. Wrap the bag and store it away from light
When the fruit puree has heated evenly, wrap the three towels around the bag to retain the heat and then store it in a dark place for 48 hours.
It is essential that the fruit stays warm for fermentation to take place. Otherwise, the yeast will die and the sugars will not convert to alcohol
Step 5. Add the sugar and ketchup
After two days check the bag, it should have swollen due to the gases produced during fermentation. Open it to let them out, add the sugar cubes and ketchup, then seal it again. At this point wait, after 10-15 minutes the sugar should have dissolved.
- You need 45-50 g of ketchup, the equivalent of about 4 sachets.
- If you don't have ketchup at home, you can use small pieces of bread.
Step 6. Heat the fruit again
After the sugar has dissolved, press the fruit puree with your fingers to evenly distribute the sugar and ketchup. When you are satisfied with the result, dip the bag back into the boiling water.
Let the fruit warm in water (or under running hot water) for 30 minutes
Step 7. Wrap the bag and store it away from light
When the half hour is up, wrap the three towels around the bag to retain the heat and then put it back in the dark, this time for 24 hours.
At this point the mixture will have to rest for three days during which the sugar will turn into alcohol
Step 8. Reheat the fruit daily
During the next 72 hours, you will need to reopen the bag once a day to let the gases escape and then reheat the fruit for 15 minutes using boiling water, as in the previous steps. When finished, remember to wrap the towels around the bag and store it in the dark until the next day.
When the bag stops swelling, the plum is ready
Step 9. Filter the blackthorn before drinking
After three days or when the bag has stopped swelling, open the bag and filter the plum from the pulp.
- You can filter the plum using a strainer or a clean t-shirt or sock to separate the pulp from the liquid.
- Pour the liquid into the glasses or drink it straight from the bag as the inmates did.
