Grandparent Recipes - Grandmother's Plumi Moos

Today, we welcome author Valerie Comer.

You know how there are things from your childhood that you don't miss for eons until suddenly you're reminded of them again? So it was with Plumi Moos. Both my parents were raised in southern Manitoba, Canada, in a strong Mennonite culture. Plumi Moos (pronounced PLOOmeh moose) is a traditional Mennonite food and is best translated simply as Fruit Soup. While it certainly contains fruit, it isn't related to soup in any way (in my opinion!) other than you spoon it out of a bowl.

Traditionally, Mennonites would have their major Sunday meal after church, then late in the afternoon a light meal called Faspa. This would be buns, meat, cheese, pickles, and a large serving bowl of canned fruit or Plumi Moos.

When my mom went into fulltime care in 2007 I brought her Mennonite Treasury cookbook home, so I knew where to start looking when the thought of making Plumi Moos entered my mind a few weeks ago. And though there were many versions, none of them sounded quite right. I sent out a plea to my cousins on Facebook and got a couple more versions, which also didn't ring bells. So I invented my own!

Plumi Moos

1/2 cup snipped prunes
1/2 cup snipped dry cherries
1/2 cup raisins
2 1/2 cups water
Bring to a boil and simmer until fruit is soft.

Add:
1/4 cup honey
dash cinnamon & cloves

Mix:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups milk

Stir the milk combo into the simmering fruit.
When thickened, turn off heat.
Chill before serving.

We enjoyed it so much that I'll be experimenting with other dried fruits over the winter. I'm serving it as part of breakfast, a dessert, or a snack. Why don't you give it a try?



Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughter.

Her first published work, a novella, will be available in the collection Rainbow's End from Barbour Books in May 2012. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.