Wild Plums!

[baymule]

@frustratedearthmother I finally got pics of the American persimmon trees.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Thanks! By golly, that might be it. I'll let 'em hang out for a couple more years and see if they produce anything.

 

[baymule]

It is wild plum picking time again! The county mowed all the tree branches back on the county roads, which was a good thing. A tractor goes down the road, with an extended arm, bush hog that can mow vertically. Branches scraped the sides of vehicles when two vehicles met in a lot of places. BUT- there went a couple of picking places. And a vacant lot sold, the plum grove on it was bulldozed.

We have a neighbor, George, that is an old man, never married, living in the house that his grandfather built. He has cows on his land. In the fencerow on the road, are some good sized wild plum trees, he lets us pick the plums. We give him wild plum jelly and he is thrilled. He went and flagged down the county tractor and told the operator NOT to mow his plums! He hung red flags on them and the tractor passed them by. So that is where we are picking.

I just made a batch of jam, I used the low sugar pectin. The jam came out sweet, with a tart after taste. Dang! That is good!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Have you used Pomona's pectin? That relies on calcium to cause the set. A little packet of calcium is included in every package. Using Pomona's is almost as easy as making jello, and you do not have to use ANY sugar, if that is what you want to do!

 

[Britesea]

I've seen Pomona's, but didn't realize how it was different. I'm gonna have to try that now!

 

[CrealCritter]

It is wild plum picking time again! The county mowed all the tree branches back on the county roads, which was a good thing. A tractor goes down the road, with an extended arm, bush hog that can mow vertically. Branches scraped the sides of vehicles when two vehicles met in a lot of places. BUT- there went a couple of picking places. And a vacant lot sold, the plum grove on it was bulldozed.

We have a neighbor, George, that is an old man, never married, living in the house that his grandfather built. He has cows on his land. In the fencerow on the road, are some good sized wild plum trees, he lets us pick the plums. We give him wild plum jelly and he is thrilled. He went and flagged down the county tractor and told the operator NOT to mow his plums! He hung red flags on them and the tractor passed them by. So that is where we are picking.

I just made a batch of jam, I used the low sugar pectin. The jam came out sweet, with a tart after taste. Dang! That is good!

somehow I can taste that plum jam over here.

 

[CrealCritter]

@frustratedearthmother I finally got pics of the American persimmon trees.

View attachment 7618


View attachment 7619

View attachment 7620

I have a persimmon log waiting for me saw on the mill. I've sawed many, talk about hard like a rock!

 

[Marianne]

Oh yum. I haven't had wild plums since I was a kid. Here in KS, you can get various shrubs and trees from the Forestry Dept. I just looked and they have added some new things. There are plants here that I know nothing about, too.

American Plum
Buffaloberry
Buttonbush
Chokecherry
Common Ninebark
Elderberry

False Indigo
Fragrant Sumac
Golden Currant
Lilac
Nannyberry
Hazelnut
Peking Cotoneaster
Sand Hill Plum
Serviceberry
Spicebush

You have to order in groups of 25 plants at $25 each, so it could get pretty pricey if you wanted a variety and no neighbors were interested in splitting an order. I always thought I'd get the Sand Hill plum, Hazelnut and Elderberry. No one that I met around here had anything to share other than the lilac.
I wonder if other states' forestry dept has similar options?
KS Forestry Dept... just doesn't sound right...there are no forests here. hahahah

 

[Marianne]

Thanks! By golly, that might be it. I'll let 'em hang out for a couple more years and see if they produce anything.

Did you get any persimmons? My BIL had a tree in his yard that he just hated. Unfortunately, I didn't get a start before he sold the property. My bad.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've got nothing - not even a bloom (yet).