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When life gives you cherry plums...

...make cherry plum jam!

We have these cherry plum trees all over town. They grow almost like weeds around here and I don’t think anyone really pays attention to the fruit. The plums just fall on the ground and make a great big, icky, sticky mess. And I’ll admit, I was completely one of those people. Then my ‘crazy’ husband went outside a few years ago, collected a few and made jam out them. I thought he had gone bananas. But then I tasted the jam. It was so good! Tart and sweet and the brightest shade of magenta you’ve ever seen. It’s now my favorite jam of all.



As I type we have another big pot of jam boiling on the stove. Our exact-as-science recipe? A pot full of plums and a few handfuls of sugar. Simmer and smash them. Strain them and simmer some more. Then put up into jars. Enjoy on toast. Give away to friends.



If you belong to a group in your town, such as a mom’s group, or maybe your local freecycle, send out an e-mail asking if anyone has any fruit they won’t use. You might end up with bags of free fruit that you can use for freezing, making tarts, jam or fruit rollups.

On an unrelated note, I have a fun thing to share with you:



We are proud to be part of Le Tour de Coop, a tour of backyard chicken coops in Sonoma. There are going to be seven different coops that you can tour in town and we are house number 5 on the map. Visit their site to learn more, buy a map (proceeds benefit our favorite garden park) and come by for a visit! Above is a peek of the gals basking in the early evening sun from my kitchen sink window. I love to watch them mill about while I wash the dinner dishes and listen to my ipod. Watching chickens with hands in warm soapy water and good tunes in my ears is my little moment to myself before I gear up for the evening get-the-kids-to-bed routine.

Scott and Kendra Spencer are a husband and wife team who maintain a modest little third of an acre in Sonoma. With farmers as ancestors and a passion for edibles, they make the most out of what they have. They’ve read countless books, magazines, research documents and articles on organic gardening, but when it comes down to it they are experimenting and finding what works along with the rest of us. Read more at A Sonoma Garden.