Beach Plums

I confess to an embarrassment of riches: I have not one, but two, gardens. One is a country garden and the other is a seaside garden. Each is quite different. The garden to which you have been introduced so far is an English wannabe, with stone walls, raised beds and a conservatory (i.e., greenhouse). My other garden is at the beach, and could not be more different; solidago, Misacanthus, rosa rugosa, and Perovskia (russian sage) abound.

Several years ago I became obsessed with beach plums. Once again, my mother set the stage with her love of beach plums, which I previously thought to be the actual rosa rugosa. One day, following my rather haughty correction of my neighbor who referred to beach plums as something other than rosa rugosa I learned about the actual beach plums. From that point on, I was hooked. I learned about beach plums in bloom, and I learned how to make jam. From that year on, I make two batches of Beach Plum jam that carries us through the winter and allows us sufficient supply to provide gifts for our favorite people.

I have decided to populate our property with our own beach plums (I collect them from the dunes currently), so I acquired seedlings from the New Hampshire extension (also has a number of other interesting seedlings). Much to my surprise, they're doing great - getting bigger every day. They'll weather the Summer in the greenhouse, and be planted in the Fall. If all goes well, I'll get many more next year and provide them to my neighbors also. I don't know how old they need to be before they bloom (see picture), but I guess I'll find out.

Beach Plum Jam Recipe (courtesy of 1st Travelers Choice Internet Cookbook):

5 cups beach plums (use purple, red, and a few green mixed; frozen work as well as fresh)

5 cups sugar

The first step is to gather your beach plums. I use a child's pail, and fill up the pail to the top for one batch = 5 cups, pitted. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water. The plums must be pitted; best done by hand by popping the pit out (a cherry pitter works also, but is more trouble than it's worth). Do this outside - it's incredibly messy! Leave the skins on for better flavor, then lightly chop in a food processor.

Put the pitted plums and sugar in a large pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Start testing by putting a spoonful on a refrigerated saucer, place the saucer back in the refrigerator. It can take a very long time: 30 mins - 1 hour has been my experience. You'll know it's done when the refrigerated beach plum wrinkles when you push the edge with your fingertip. It doesn't actually matter how "done" it is, the jam will be thicker or thinner, but is basically personal preference (thinner works better on English muffins as it gets into all the nooks and crannies). Remove from the heat when it's done.

Spoon into sterilized jars, seal, and boil in a hot bath for 10 minutes or longer. Use a canning guide for the specifics with respect to altitude and other factors. Enjoy!