Plum Delicious Dessert

Plum Delicious Dessert
Dorcas Annette Walker

The last couple of weeks I have had been going plum crazy as I harvested the fruit off of my two loaded plum trees each day. My plums are dark purple when ripe bursting with sweet juice that runs down your chin as soon as you take a bite. Talk about plum good! There is nothing like picking and eating a fresh plum that has been warmed and ripened by the sun. I’ve been plum busy canning jars of plums and cooking plum jam. So I thought I’d give you a recipe for a Plum Delicious Dessert to enjoy.

Plums are a smooth-skinned fruit that comes in a wide variety of color, sizes, and taste (sweet or tart) with a creamy yellow or bright red flesh containing a flattish pointed stone in the middle of each fruit. The Romans introduced plums to Northern Europe and by 1864 there were 150 species of plums with hundreds of varieties. Plums are native in China, America, and Europe with most placed into two categories: Japanese and European. The plum tree can reach a height of 20-33 feet, is considered a stone fruit tree that is different from other fruit trees in that the shoots have a terminal bud, and blossoms in early spring. California is famous for its export of plums.

Plums are often dried as prunes, but can be stewed, canned, made into jams, jellies, puddings, or used in pies, and cakes. Fermented plum juice when distilled produces brandy. Although plums are high in carbohydrates, they are low in fat and calories, and are free of sodium and cholesterol. Plums contain iron, Vitamin C and A, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fiber. They are good for allaying thirst, are proven to have just as much or more antioxidants than blueberries, used in the treatment of arthritis, and helps regulate the function of the digestive system.

Plum Delicious Dessert

1 c crushed graham crackers
1 qt canned plums
½ c sugar
½ c cornstarch
½ tsp almond extract
1 (8 oz) cool whip

Place graham crackers in the bottom of a glass dessert dish. Pit the plums and place in a medium saucepan with sugar. Add enough water to make a liquid paste with the cornstarch, add to plum mixture, and bring to a boil stirring with a Wisk until smooth. Take off the heat and add the extract. Cool for half an hour than pour over the graham crackers. Let cool for another half an hour before spreading the cool whip on top. Take a knife and swirl through the cool whip and fruit. Chill overnight before serving! Preparation time for my Plum Delicious Dessert is about fifteen minutes (not counting an hour for cooling time) and this recipe serves eight.

Weekly tip: Store fresh plum in a cool dark place. And here’s an idea for you- how about using plum jam with your peanut butter and jelly sandwich or instead of sliced bananas and peanut butter substitute fresh slices of a plum? Be plum inventive!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com