Sandhill Plum –
When you hear the word “plum” you think of a store-bought, purple-red sweet plum. They are raised in cultivated orchards. Sandhill plums grow wild in the bar ditch. They are quarter-size, sour-then-sweet native fruit. In western states around Texas they can be found in sandy ranchland. Our best spot is on the side of the road where we spend a whole morning picking each summer.
Every year the amount of plums we get is different. The small trees that produce the plums do not produce in a drought year, or if the hail or bugs are heavy in the spring. Late frost will kill them all too. Some years we only get enough to make a couple jars of jelly, others we have enough to last us two years. The jelly has a beautiful red color that shines when you hold it up to a window.
Just like the Indians, the eager pioneers who came to Texas in the 1800’s had to use any type of food they could get their hands on. Plums were a great option, and a change from their regular meal of old jerky. Actually, jerky and sandhill plums all the time doesn’t sound too bad.
