There is an old Italian Prune Plum tree just up over the rise from us. It grows along side the road in the public right of way. Most years, it provides the best fruit that is free for the taking.
Caesar and I took a walk over there this morning and I picked a good sized bag full. It took me two good washings of each individual plum to get the dust off them from the gravel road that they grow beside. I then set to work cutting them in half and then loading them onto the food dehydrator trays. I was able to fill 6 trays up. It should take about 24 hours to get them fully dehydrated and ready to store.
I love the dehydrated prunes to snack on or to rehydrate and use in different recipes. You can chop them up and use them in muffins or you can leave them whole and make tarts with them. I would imagine that you could also use them in trail mix, granola, fruitcake and other things also. Honestly, these are easy to do and the most time consuming part was the washing of each plum.
Be blessed!
Good job of foraging, Debbie! It's amazing what can be found if people would only open their eyes. Around here there's plenty of wild apples trees. They're just loaded this year.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Jane
Thanks Jane! The apple trees around here are loaded too. :)
DeleteThat is nice that you have access to those plums and I love the idea of dehydrating them to enjoy later. I bet they are really good in muffins, like you say. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I want to go and pick more tomorrow and do a second batch.
DeleteHello Debbie,
ReplyDeleteJust taking a few moments to stop in and catch up. How exciting to have a plum tree near by on the right of way ... free plums for jelly, jam and prunes ... oh! I can only dream of that. Winters are too cold for plum trees out here on the Montana prairie.
Blessings,
Mrs.B
Hi Mrs. B! I hope things are calming down for you a bit. I wonder if there is a variety of plums that would work in your area? My mom is able to grow some up in the Flathead area of Montana.
DeleteMy parents had a plum tree in our backyard where I grew up. I think I was the only one in the family that liked the plums, but there's nothing like a fresh picked plum! I still miss that tree, especially in the summer. Plums are in season in the summer here, but they don't taste nearly as good as the plums from that tree. I love that you know where one is to pick from. I might have to drive around the area and see if I can spot any 😀
ReplyDeleteHI Jessica! My favorite kind of plums are plucots...a cross between a plum and apricot. One of our hanai grandmas had one in her yard and I so wish we had gotten a start from her before she had to go live in a nursing home and her place was sold. I do hope you find a wild tree that you can pick from. Be blessed!
DeleteGreat job finding more free food!
ReplyDeleteDo you think yellow plums would work? I have a free source for these but not for any purple variety. A friend of mine actually found the tree on her dog walk and rang the door bell and asked the owner if we could pick. The owner of the house said yes. The next day we were there to pick. She was surprised when we also cleaned up her yard. It seemed like more then a fair exchange for free fruit - and in our picking we had contributed to the mess on the ground. Last year I made jam but wonder now if I should have tried to have dehydrated a few.
Having a very quiet day. Didn't mention before but my dog had surgery (unplanned but the vet said 'do it now') and it's been quite stressful. He got his stitches out yesterday and is no longer a cone-head. I think last night was the first full nights sleep I've had in two weeks. Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC
Hi SJ, I am so sorry your dog had to have surgery. I understand about the not getting much sleep because I had to hold my cat's paw to keep him calm after his surgery. It was the only way he would sleep. I miss that guy.
DeleteAccording to my dehyrating book, any kind of plum would work. you want it to get leathery, but not crisp or it will lose flavor. I still tend to keep my dehydrated fruit in the freezer in ziplock bags just in case. ;)
How lovely to have access to free plums! Enjoy your dehydrated plums/prunes.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bless. :) I got another dehydrator full of them going today. :)
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