Right now, my neighbor's trees (and yours, too--just look down the street) are overflowing with gorgeous, sweet golden plums. I've filled bags there for the past few years, and no matter how much I take, there are always more plums up there, just out of reach. They made a splendid golden-orange jam last year that most people took for apricot. They would make a wonderful chutney, too, I'm sure. But this year, I'm going to rekindle my love for barbecue sauce. If you, like me, adore barbecue sauce but never buy it because of how much high-fructose corn syrup is in every supermarket brand, here's your chance to make some one-pot, stove-top deliciousness. If you don't have a backyard plum tree, ask your favorite farmer's market fruit seller if they have any jam fruit or seconds. You can often get a big flat of less-than-perfect fruit (especially near the end of the market) for cheap.

Recipe: Plum Barbecue Sauce
Any kind of fleshy, juice-dripping plum, like the Santa Rosa, will work in this recipe. Whole spices retain their flavor and aroma much longer than pre-ground spices. You'll save lots of money if you buy them loose in the bulk section of a health food store (like Rainbow Grocery or Berkeley Bowl) rather than in plastic bottles at the supermarket. As always, feel free to play around with the spicing; for an Asian-inspired sauce, try adding in grated fresh ginger, star anise instead of cinnamon, honey instead of molasses, and soy or fish sauce instead of Worcestershire.

Yield: 1 quart
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients
10 whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
10 whole cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 lbs plums, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup apple-cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes, or 2 fresh hot peppers, such as serranos or jalapenos, diced
1 tbsp salt, or to taste
a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce, optional

Preparation
1. Using a small piece of cheesecloth, put whole spices in the center of the cheesecloth and tie corners together to make a little bag. Tie an 8" piece of string to the knot.

2. In a large, heavy, nonreactive pot (enameled cast iron, like Le Creuset, works very well) over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add onions and cook until golden and just beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

2. Add plums and cook, stirring frequently, until fruit has collapsed and softened into a chunky puree. Add vinegar, sugar, molasses, mustard, hot peppers, and salt.For easy retrieval, tie the end of the string to the handle of the pot and drop the spice bag into the plum mixture. Add about a tablespoon of Worchestershire sauce, if desired.

3. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and cook, stirring often, until mixture is thick and smooth and flavors have blended. Be careful not to let mixture scorch or stick to the pan. Taste for seasoning, adjusting with more vinegar, sugar, molasses, or salt as needed. Remove and discard spice bag.

barbecue saucebarbecue sauce

What to Do with Too Many Plums, Part 1: Plum Barbecue Sauce