What do you do with wild plums?
Huge crops of wild plums ripen at the edge of woodlands across North America each fall, and most are left to the squirrels. The plums are small, only slightly bigger than a cherry, but most are flavorful and sweet. With a bit of added sugar, wild plums cook into a tasty wild foraged jam without any added pectin.
Can you eat a wild plum?
Wild plums can simply be eaten fresh as a raw snack, but are usually cooked as they are quite tart and sometimes even bitter.
What does wild plum taste like?
Unlike other high-volume harvests like wild apples, their flavor of wild plums is dependable and you know what you’re getting: no danger of mealy textures here, just pure, tart-sweet plum flavor that you can do all kinds of things with.
Are wild plums poisonous?
ANSWER: You are correct that plants in the Genus Prunus (includes wild plums, cherries and peaches) are toxic to livestock and, in particular, ruminants. It is cyanide poisoning that is the problem and cyanide poisoning can kill quickly—within 15 minutes.
How do you remove pits from wild plums?
Take a clean plum in hand. Make sure the stem end is facing upward. Push the end of your wooden spoon into the stem’s indent, forcing it through the length of your plum. Every time, the seed will burst out the other side, leaving you with whole, pitted fruit!
Are wild plums good for you?
Wild plums are full of vital nutrients. They contain vitamin A, which is necessary for healthy eyes, skin and nails. They also have beta carotene which helps the body with converting the vitamin A. It is also a useful nutrient for combating free radicals and oxidative stress.
How do you eat wild plums?
Applications. Wild plums can simply be eaten fresh as a raw snack, but are usually cooked as they are quite tart and sometimes even bitter. The plums are usually sweetened with sugar and preserved as jams, jellies, sauces, or syrups.
What does a ripe wild plum look like?
A ripe plum is still firm, but not hard. The flesh and skin yield slightly under your fingers when you squeeze it gently. An unripe plum may have turned red, but until it softens, it is not ready to pick.
Can you eat wild plum seeds?
The seeds (also known as stones, pits, or kernels) of stone fruits like apricots, cherries, plums, and peaches do contain a compound called amygdalin, which breaks down into hydrogen cyanide when ingested. And, yes, hydrogen cyanide is definitely a poison.
Do I peel plums before making jam?
Plums and nectarines should be peeled, as their skins can be tough / chewy in jam. If you do want to leave the skins in, you might want to run the fruit through a blender or food processor to chop them up (after you remove the pits, of course).
Do wild plums ripen after picking?
If you’re picking plums before they’re ripe, you can ripen them, but they have the best flavor if they ripen on trees. If you picked or bought unripe plums, you can ripen them on the countertop. To make your plums ripen indoors more quickly, keep the plums at temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees F.