Vinegar-Preserved Sour Plums

Why people make these

Nourilo used to dread plums — too sour, the kind that set your teeth on edge. But fresh plums have a short season, and steeping them in vinegar lets you keep them for the better part of a year. He recommends this vinegar-preserved version because plums are traditionally associated with promoting saliva, quenching thirst and helping digestion, and the vinegar-cured plums are traditionally used for things like chronic sore throat, mouth sores, gum trouble, minor sores, eczema and itchy skin — both eaten in moderation and used externally.