Cherished Wild Plums

Cherished native fruits, the wild plums of Missouri

Wild plum or Prunus americana is one of the most abundant native trees in the state and across its range but it usually goes unnoticed as it grows along roadsides on major highways and smaller roads. It can be found in the most unexpected places, sometimes forming thickets, and has fruits that are just larger than blueberries and their flavor is far more desirable than introduced plums.

Like many fruit trees, it blooms early in the spring and matures its fruit in late summer. It blooms at the same time as the invasive Bradford pear, so one way to tell them apart is that Bradford pear trees are taller, the flowers have a stronger and unpleasant smell and the fruits are green, very small and inedible.

Wild plum’s aromatic flowers can be used to produce perfumes and are very attractive for pollinators in the spring. The fruits of wild plums are red at maturity and round to oval. Wild plums can naturally be found in thickets in prairies, glades and open woodlands but can be trained to have a single stem which makes it easier to harvest the bright red fruits.

Wild plum is a fast-growing tree, it can produce fruits within four or five years after established and can reach up to 20 ft. but has an average size of about 10 ft. Wild plum, like introduced plums, pears and apples, belongs to the rose family.

The Missouri Department of Conservation recommends wild plums for quail habitat in combination with brambles like blackberries and other small trees and shrubs like gray dogwood and false wild indigo (Amorpha fruticosa), all good for pollinators in the spring and/or early summer.

Native plums are adapted to dry and poor soils and do not require watering once established. The fruits are consumed by bobwhite quail, turkey and mammals. Don Kurz in his book Trees of Missouri describes two other less common, but equally tasty, native plums: Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) and Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana).

According to Kelly Kindscher, Professor of the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Kansas, wild plums have been used extensively and are still used by Native Americans. A study conducted by Katherine Phillips et. al. on wild plum and nine other native edible species used by Northern Plains Native Americans showed that wild plums had high dietary fiber content, vitamin C and vitamin K.

American plums should be harvested when they are red, they can be left sitting on the kitchen counter for 2 or 3 days before using fresh or for recipes. They should be soft but not mushy and can be used raw or cooked. Tartness varies from tree to tree. The following wild plum jam recipe has been tested at Lincoln University. Wild plums can be used in any jam or jelly recipe calling for plums and have an unbeatable flavor! Other recipes can be found in Kay Young’s Wild Seasons: Gathering and cooking wild plants of the Great Plains and Billy Joe Tatum’s Wild Foods Cookbook and Field Guide, among others. For a list of books or other references contact Dr. Nadia NavarreteTindall at Navarrete-tindalln@lincolnu.edu or via Facebook “Native Plants and More.”

These as well as other native edible woody and herbaceous plants can be seen at Lincoln University campus as part of the FINCA project. (A finca is a small farm in El Salvador and at Lincoln it is the acronym of Families Integrating Nature, Conservation and Agriculture.) This project funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is helping to increase awareness about common but overlooked native edibles in Missouri.

Wild plum tree in spring bloom. Lots of harvested American plums.

Wild Plum Jam

Ingredients 4 cups of wild plum pulp 4 cups of sugar 2 cinnamon sticks

Directions

Choose soft and red plums.

Immerse plums in boiling water to loosen skin for one minute or less. Use a tomato juicer or food mill to separate pulp from skin and seeds.

Boil wild plum pulp with sugar and cinnamon sticks for an hour or so.

Stir and check the mixture constantly to avoid burning.

The jam will be ready when it sticks to a wooden spoon. Preserve or use immediately.

NADIA NAVARRETE-TINDALL Native Plant Specialist

Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall is a Native Plant Specialist and Educator at Lincoln University. She offers educational workshops and other training about native edible plants and other topics on native plants. She can be reached by email at navarrete-tindalln@lincolnu.edu and on her Facebook page “Native Plants and More.”

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