Sand Plum Sightings

Many readers have posted "Sand Plum Sightings" in the comments sections.  It is fun to hear from you!  Check them out and add your own!  After several "fruitful" years from our Chicksaw Plum tree (common in Texas and tastes just like the sand plums found on thorny thickets in KS and OK), it suddenly and sadly croaked... bit the dust.  Not exactly sure why.  I found a nursery online who carries this tree and ships them in a dormant, "bare root" state.  When it first arrived, we thought it was dead. We carefully followed the planting instructions, and after a few weeks in the ground, it began to show signs of life!  We are looking forward to many years to come with plums in our back yard!

Click Here for More Info. 

Fortunately, I have a stock pile of jelly that still tastes great!  I prefer to make jelly rather than jam, and I am very careful to remove all pulp so it does not discolor over time.  The first year that I made jelly from my tree, I was not so careful and the jars with little pieces of pulp turned brown.  If anyone has any tips for that, please post in the comments!

Enjoy hunting for sand plums!  ~ If you would like a jar of my sand plum jelly, be sure to contact me. I will be happy to send one to you (while supplies last... lol).

A Very Happy Mockingbird...

Scroll down to read my Sand Plum Jelly story and recipe. 

I think my plum tree needed a rest this year!  I am ready for a break too... the past 3 years it has taken me 3-4 weekends to make all of the jelly!  That's a lot of steam facials from the hot water bath!  *smile*  We had a few late freezes (which usually last the blink of an eye in Texas, but is a freeze none-the-less) followed by a dry spring, so even though it was full of flower buds, there were only a handful of plums on the tree this year.  We left them for our resident mockingbird and friends.  Hope you all in KS and OK are having better luck finding the *real* sand plums this year!

Making Jelly in December...

Hi Everyone!  Scroll down to see my Sand Plum Jelly story and recipe.

Who knew a blog about jelly could bring so many people together?!  I love your comments, and appreciate hearing from you!  It's the memories and connection to home/family that make this jelly something special.  I hope that those of you who have responded will see this. And if you are reading this for the first time, be sure to leave a note!  Happy Holidays!  ♥

This year, I decided to try freezing the plum juice so I could wait until things cooled off. Making jelly with a hot water bath in the Texas heat of June/July is M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E!!

So, in June, I cooked down the plums and strained them twice, added some "Fresh Fruit", double bagged them in freezer bags and then put them in the deep freezer. I am making the jelly today (December 12th) and so far, so good.

The best part... It is a chilly day here today, so the hot, steamy kitchen feels fantastic!  Much better than June!  

A yummy "Sand Plum" party appetizer: Place a bar of cream cheese on a pretty serving dish and pour a jar of sand plum jelly over the top. Serve with crackers. YUM!

1886 Murder for Sand Plums

Nescatunga Enterprise - July 10, 1886

Comanche County

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kscomanc/nelson_john_murdered.html

The facts as near as we can get them regarding the trouble, which resulted in murder, are about as follows: There is a patch of sand plums on Nelson's place; Wilson persisted in going there to gather plums, notwithstanding Nelson had notified him that he wanted the plums himself.

On Monday preceding the murder, Nelson's father found Willis gathering plums and asked him to desist. Willis used abusive language and informed the old man that he would quit when he got ready.

Tuesday, Nelson and Willis met in the patch; what occurred between them is unknown. A couple of men who were gathering plums some distance from where the murder was committed, say they heard the report of a gun and a minute afterwards saw Willis running, gun in hand towards Calvary Creek.

How to Make Sand Plum Jelly

Growing up in Kiowa, Kansas, Grandma Cappy made Sand Plum Jelly. Jars of the clear, ruby-colored jelly were given as gifts, because Sand Plums can only be found once a year and are hard to come by. Sand Plums are small, bright red, and look like super-sized cherries. They grow on thorny bushes that grow in sandy ditches and on sandy banks along the river. Mom and I would pick them, and finding a Sand Plum thicket was a treasure! However, picking them was miserable. They are ripe in June - when it is hot, humid and there are thorns, chiggers and mosquitoes! But anyone who knows Sand Plum Jelly, knows that it is worth it!

 

I think it is so special to me, because it is family tradition and because it is unique to home. Sand Plums can mostly be found in Kansas and Oklahoma. I purchased my first home in Texas and the first spring, discovered that I had a plum tree in the back yard. After some Googling and photo comparisons, I discovered that I had a Chickasaw Plum tree... which is a variation of the Sand Plums! The plums grow a little larger, but the taste, smell and color is exactly the same! The plum is bitter from the tree, but cooked down with sugar... YUM!



Grandma Cappy died in 1988, but in spirit,
I believe she helped me find my home and my "Sand Plum" tree! ♥

 

The plums turn bright red when ripe.

 

 

Carrying on the family tradition...


Cover the plums with water.
Partially ripe plums mixed with ripe plums are okay.
Cook on low heat in crock pot until the plums crack and have lost their color.

Scoop out the plums with a slotted spoon and discard.
Pour the juice through a strainer into a pitcher.
Let the juice drip through - do not squeeze bag or cloth.
This will ensure clear jelly.

(I strain twice; first through a wire mesh strainer,
 and then again through a jelly cloth.
A metal mesh coffee filter also works well - thanks Bert!)

 Store in refrigerator until you are ready to make the jelly.

 

 
When you are ready to make jelly, prepare:

Sterilized jelly jars.

Place jar dome lids in boiling water until ready to use.

Boiling water in pressure cooker or large pot for hot water bath.

(I create an assembly line - see photos below)

In 8-12 qt. Pot:

Pour 5 1/2 cups juice.

Add to Juice:

1 teaspoon butter (to prevent foaming)

1 box Sure Jell Pectin
Red food coloring (optional)

Juice Mixture:

Bring to a rolling boil (does not stop when stirred)

Quickly add 6 1/2 cups Sugar, stirring nonstop

Bring to a rolling boil again - and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat.

Ladle into jars.

Skim film/foam off top.

 

Place lids and rings on jars and lower into hot water bath.

Boil for about 10 minutes.

Remove from water and place on heat-safe surface.

Lids will "pop" as they cool - a sign of success!

Jar Lifter pictured above works great!

I purchase canning supplies at CanningPantry.com


My assembly line...

 

Voila! Aren't they pretty!?

I think Grandma Cappy would be proud!!

I have a Peach tree too, but they are not ripe yet,

and the peaches make the best "peach crisp" pie. YUM!

To be continued...  ♥