Historical recipe Plum liqueur

Hooft often concluded his letters with his famous greeting, “Until the plum time. ‘Tot in de pruimentijd,’ is a saying in the Dutch language that originated at the Muiderslot. The famous poet and castle dweller Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft is said to have bid farewell to his friends at the end of each summer with this statement. In this way he referred to the summer to come, when they could once again enjoy the delicious sweet plums from the castle’s orchard in peace and quiet.

When is plum time?

The plum orchard was recreated at the end of the last century. You can discover as many as 14 different historic plum varieties here. What is striking is that the trees have short trunks. They were grown that way on purpose so that they were easier to prune and harvest. Not all plums ripen in the summer. Some varieties are ripe for picking as early as late May. Other plums aren’t at their tastiest until late September and even early October.

It is therefore difficult to know which summer month P.C. Hooft was referring to. Moreover, not every plum variety is equally suitable for eating on its own. Some varieties are better suited to making jam and compote, for example, while others are best used to make stew. Drying and storing plums for a later date was not uncommon either.

Plum liqueur: the taste of summer

The great advantage of all these different plums with different methods of preparation is, of course, that throughout the summer one had the opportunity to enjoy the plums in one way or another. A plum liqueur, for example! To experience a little “plum time” even in winter months.