Damson Plums

     Our fruit share shifted gears a little this week. Blueberries and nectarines are out; yellow watermelon and Damson plums are in. The day before pick-up, the fruit share newsletter introduced the new arrivals. I was amused when it said the Damson plums were not for eating fresh. As children, we ate many a damson plum from a tree at the end of our road. We also ate many a green apple and sour cherries. We children ran a bit untamed in our little patch of countryside and we ate from every fruit tree and berry bush along the way. My friend Jimmy ate a poisonous mushroom once and had to have his stomach pumped. Otherwise, we never sickened on those green apples or sour Damson plums.
     I have never purchased Damson plums because they are really best for jams or otherwise cooked. The fun thing about buying into a fruit share (or vegetable share, if you do that too) is the surprise element when you pick it up. You get whatever is in season and ripening at the moment. So, with the arrival of Damson plums, it looks like I'll be making some jam this week! I searched my cookbooks and went online for recipes and came up with one to try. Click here for link. It will only produce a few jars, but they will look beautiful on the shelf and be treasured on a slice of toast come winter.