plum assignment
Last year, Steve and Joe harvested some wild plums at our friend Paula’s farm. They lacto-fermented them because for two years we have been fermenting just about every native foodstuff they find. Anyway, we didn’t know what to do with the fermented plums, so we made plum crisps with them. And, I’ll be damned, they were delicious. So when we came upon a large stand of wild plums the other day, we all got quite excited: The boys for their culinary explorations, and me for my artistic ones. I have a soft spot for all my subjects that get these waxy blooms on them. It softens the colors in such a pleasing way. As I stare at this photo, I realize now that I should have made a solar system out of them instead of a grid. The look like planets to me.
wild plums ripening: (Prunus americana) or Prunus nigra (Canada Plum)
Yes to the solar system shot!
Your kitchen must be an interesting place with your guys busy foraging, fermenting, and goodness knows what else!
Did you notice in the second row, second plum from the right has a smiley face?
Are plums like tomatoes in that, once the ripening process begins, the fruit will continue to ripen whether it’s on the plant or on your kitchen counter?
Count me in when the next plum crisp comes out of the oven, yum yum!
Hi Ginny,
I did not notice the smiley face! It’s brilliant :-)
I learned a new thing from you: tomato breaker stage! I did not know about breaker stage.
Yes, plums are similar. But they have to be past a certain point of maturity–and the ones in this photo were not there yet.
I love learning new things!
xox Mary Jo
…and I did not know it’s called the ‘breaker stage’! I only know that the squirrels like to eat my tomatoes and the sooner I can get them off the vine, and still have them ripen, the better!! I probably read or heard it somewhere. Who knows where the minutiae in the back closets of the mind comes from! We who love learning just keep packing it in, huh?