Plums for brandy

[arnorrian]

Went with my dad to a nearby village to help him get plums for making brandy. Nice orchard, and cheap plums, 15 cents per kilo.

[Worth1]

Oh my god I would be a sick as a dog after I left that place from eating plums.

[arnorrian]

Do you think I'm not?

[clkeiper]

wow. they are very nice. that is way too little money for those. how does the orchard or family survive on those prices? is everything else in the economy that way?

[arnorrian]

Median monthly pay in Serbia is 250 dollars per month post tax. Many add to their salary by doing some agriculture on the side. We have a plum orchard of our own, but my dad has a still and makes brandy to sell, so we need more plums than we can grow. He sells double-distilled plum brandy of 45% alcohol for 5$ per liter.

[Worth1]

The guy I know that has a still and makes very good aged whiskey sells it for over $100 a liter.
I bet the brandy is awesome.

[arnorrian]

It is, but Americans often find it too strong. I rarely drink it myself, but I enjoy it as hot caramel toddy in the winter.

[Worth1]

45% is perfect in my opinion.

[Farmette]

My grandmother was born in northern Serbia and I remember my grandparents drinking Slivovitz, which I believe was plum Brandy. I''m excited to be visiting that area in a few months. I think Slivovitz is called something different now.

[arnorrian]

No, it's still šljivovica (shliv-oh-vitz-ah). Other popular brandies here are made from grapes, quince, and Williams pear.

[Farmette]

Arnorrian, thanks for the information.

[arnorrian]

If offered to choose when you visit you should opt for quince brandy, dunja (doo-nyah), that's the best one.

Edit:

I've just seen I've spelled brandy wrong in the thread name, drats!

[Farmette]

Ok, I'll do that. I hope it is not too strong.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Farmette

Ok, I'll do that. I hope it is not too strong.

Me thinks that brandy was first made to preserve wine for shipping.
Once it came into port and was sold it was then diluted back to normal strength.
Then people got a taste for it in its distilled state.
The other is fortified wine like Marsala and Madeira which people including myself dearly love not only to sip but to cook with.
Fortified wine just has a tasteless alcohol or brandy added to it.

When I was a child I dearly loved brandied fruit.
There was always a big container of it at every house.
Something you dont see often anymore.

[SpookyShoe]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Me thinks that brandy was first made to preserve wine for shipping.
Once it came into port and was sold it was then diluted back to normal strength.
Then people got a taste for it in its distilled state.
The other is fortified wine like Marsala and Madeira which people including myself dearly love not only to sip but to cook with.
Fortified wine just has a tasteless alcohol or brandy added to it.

When I was a child I dearly loved brandied fruit.
There was always a big container of it at every house.
Something you dont see often anymore.

I make a mean Chicken Marsala, if I do say so myself. Dry marsala, not sweet marsala.