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A Real Plum Piece of Fruit
By Sara J. Schmidt
Soft, yielding flesh that breaks with a single bite, yielding a sweet-or-pungent mouthful of juicy fruit… ahh, the joy of eating a plum! Used in everything from breads to jellies to salads, prunes to pies to puddings, plums are a versatile fruit favorite to many.
Though there are thousands of varieties of plums, they all stem from one of three main types: European, Japanese and Western Asian. While plums are abundant in variety, their commercial availability is far less, at about a dozen available for purchase.
Wild Plum
Not only is the wild plum one of the rarest varieties of plums; it is one of the rarest fruits found in nature. Also known as the prunus subcordata, or Pacific plum, it is a native plant growing from Southern Oregon to Central California; the most copious population of wild plums is located in the Oregon counties of Lake and Klamath, as well as California's Sierra counties. A very hardy plant, the wild also grows between altitudes of 4,000 and 7,000 feet in Nevada's northern desert, surviving weather extremes that would kill many other varieties.
Native American tribes of the Pacific region used wild plums in garnishing their meats after they would dry the ripened fruits out. During an expedition from Canada, Hudson Bay trappers used the wild plum to survive on their journey to California; they also gave the fruit its name.
A highly unique fruit, the wild plum actually resembles a cherry in size-though some may grow to be as big as a golf ball. The wild plum is available in a rainbow of varieties, from a rich burgundy to a dark yellow, with many warm shades in between, all with very smooth skins and juicy pulp. The fruit's bushes can grow as large as six feet in height, and are covered with thorns. Round or heart-shaped, sweet or tart, wild plums ripen between late spring and late summer. Wild plums are particularly good in cakes, preserves, jams, jellies, fruit rolls, honeys, and as spiced plums.
Fun Fact: Oregon Trail pioneer Captain Lassen attempted to transplant wild plums in the Sacramento Valley when he rediscovered them in 1843. They did not take, however, due to the differences in climate.
Beach Plum
The beach plum, or prunus maritima, is considered to be the rarest variety of plum. Like the wild plum, the beach plum is very hardy with the ability to grow in very poor soil-typically, in sand dunes-making it a highly sought after plant for preventing and stopping erosion. Native to the North American Atlantic coast, beach plums can be found from New Brunswick to Maryland. Among the first fruits that early American colonists encountered in New England, beach plum bushes can grow up to 10 feet in height.
Though once highly rare, Cornell University recently started a nationwide beach plum production project that made the fruit slightly more available for consumption. Professor Tom Whitlow, the primary investigator of the university's Beach Plum Project, said that the plums had "been regarded as being a delicacy." Though the plums are not commercialized, they are highly sought after; Whitlow says the plums "have a more unusual flavor and people like that."
The small plums, each about the size of an olive and varying in shades of red and purple, are known as being a very unique treat. Cape Cod is typically known for its delicious beach plum jam in particular. However, now that the Beach Plum Project has resulted in seeds being collected from coastal areas and planted in others, other places-including Cornell University itself-have been known to develop some favorite plum recipes. The school's orchards have provided plums for ice cream, jellies, jams, and sorbets.
Fun Fact: Though you may have tried beach plum jelly or jam before, it may not have actually contained any beach plums!