When we were in Castiglione d’Orcia in July, our neighbors Lido and Tosca came over several times to bring us plums from their backyard tree. After eating about 30 of them fresh, I realized I could eat no more and so I bought some brandy and a vanilla bean to make some liqueur.

I steeped the pitted plums in a big jar with the brandy, some sugar and the vanilla bean and sealed the jar and put it in a dark closet.

When we arrived this week I checked the jar to be sure the plums didn’t turn moldy–they didn’t, and I checked to see if the flavor was pleasing–it was!

This morning I bottled my “Liquore dei Suzini,” in bottles I pre-labeled in the States . Now I can give them as holiday gifts to my neighbors.