"Plum Good"

by: Bobby McDonald

In East Texas we are blessed with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Both wild and cultivated plums are adaptable to the soils of this region. Go down
almost any country road and you'll find wild plum thickets along fence rows and
along the edges of pastures.

Take a trip down almost any country road in Hopkins County and you're sure to find a wild plum thicket, where you can stop and grab a handful of the tart fruit and enjoy one of the bounties of the region. Plums are adaptable to a wide range of climatic and soil factors and can be cultivated almost anywhere.

Plums are very diverse in terms of size, color, and flavor. They range from a light yellow variety that is known as the Mirabelles, to deep red and purple varieties such as the Damsons. "Tame" or cultivated plums are much larger in size and more of a "heart" shaped in appearance, whereas, wild plums tend to be much smaller in size and "rounder" in appearance.

Cultivated or "tame" plums on the right are much larger in size than the
wild plum, shown here on the left.

Of course, larger cultivated plums are grown commercially, with California being the largest producer of them. Most plums grown commercially are used for drying and making prunes. Prunes serve as a laxative and are many time prescribed by doctors for health reasons.

Additionally, plums make the ideal flavor for jams and jellies. Most wild plums in East Texas are used in this manner. The fruit is boiled with a sugar and water mixture to cook the juice to extract for jams and jellies. Some people like preserves, that saves pieces of the fruit with the sugar mixture.

Horticulturalists have used the plum in a variety of experiments to improve texture, flavor, and shelf-life of the fruit. Plum root stock is used in a new experiment that crosses plums with their "cousin," the apricot. Plumcots are 50% plum and 50% apricot, hybrid crosses, and claim to be better than either of the parent stock. The most popular hybrid is called the "Pluot," which is a hybrid that is 75% plum and 25% apricot. However, work is now being done on the "Aprium" which boasts 75% apricot and 25% plum, but it hasn't met the goals of the scientist who work with them, and has not met consumer demands.

Wild plums such as these can be found down most any abandoned fence row
in Hopkins County, during early summer. They make for a great summertime
treat or to use in jams and jellies.

Try the following recipe using seasonal favorite fruits, while grilling meat on the outdoor grill.

Grilled Summer Fruit

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 ripe yellow or white peaches, cut in half
4 ripe red plums (larger tame varieties), cut in half
4 minature ripe bananas, cut in half lengthwise
2 apples cored and cut into eight pieces

Heat the grill to medium hot. In a large bowl combine the
melted butter and brown sugar. Add the fruit pieces and toss
to coat. Fold the edges of a large piece of aluminum foil to form
a baking pan, and place on top of the warm grill. Arrange fruit,
cut sides down on the foil pan. Cook fruit until golden brown
and carmelized around the edges; re-arranging occasionally to
prevent scorching. Turn the fruit over and repeat process on
the other side.
Serve warm sprinkled with cinnamon.

Yeild: 4 Servings

Large commercial varieties of plums are grown mainly in California for the
production of prunes, which are dried plums.

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