The glut of Cherry Plums (Prunus cerasifera) this year is astounding. In fact most of the wild fruit coming out, or just about to, reminds me yet again, that Nature is truly abundant. A simple observation of my local environment makes this self evident.
One thing I have learnt from foraging wild food, is that Nature continually gives, and gives. Of course dry periods exist, but on the whole over a year, there is an abundance of food to be had from the hedgerow larder.
This observation allows me to relax into my life. It takes the concern that sometimes crops up over not having enough money or stuff etc. This is a 180 degree flip from how I used to live my life before foraging. Before I lived a fear-based life, bashing my head out over making money, needing status symbols, needing some fixed point on so-called security. Instead, when I walked away from my old life, I went into Nature and Nature healed me. For a second time… Phew, it was a close one!
In modern times we have a fear of Nature, a reticence to trust her and a desperate need to control and commodify the landbase. And we wonder why we have brought our own existence to the edge of a cliff. But the solution, as I see it, is to go back into Nature, to observe, and with what we learn create a better world, one that works with Nature, rather than against her. In mutual co-existence instead of dominance.
And now after all that pondering, it is time to give you my Cherry Plum Jam Recipe… Enjoy.
Cherry Plum Jam Recipe Ingredients
- 4 LB Cherry Plums
- 4 LB brown cane sugar
- 1/2 pint of water
Cherry Plum Jam Recipe Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a large flat-bottomed pan.
- Stir and bring to the boil. Boil until the skins start coming off and the fruit comes away from the stones.
- At this point, pour the Cherry Plum jam mixture into a large piece of muslin and squeeze out fruit pulp and back in to the pan.
- Continue boiling the jam mixture until ‘setting point’ is reached. Which can take as long as 30 minutes.
- Setting Point: Put a couple of saucers into a fridge to chill. It is best to do this a bit before you start making the Cherry Plum jam. Using a teaspoon, let a few drops of the jam mixture drip on to a chilled saucer and allow it to cool for a short while. Now push your finger sideways against the jam. When it is at the right setting point, the jam should crinkle, and be nice and tacky.
- Pour into sterilised jam jars and screw the lid on.
Quantity: 7 jars