Prunus angustifolia, sometimes known as Chickasaw Plum, Sand Plum or Sandhill Plum, is
another of God’s many gifts of wild food to us. This misshapen, often scraggly looking bush
blooms with small white flowers in March and April which mature into small firm plums about
the size of a quarter by the end of June. They have a sweet, tart flavor when fully ripe and
take on a beautiful reddish-purple color. Because it’s wild, you’ll often find them growing as a
thicket, which makes picking around the edges the best (and only) way to harvest. The wild
plum was one of the first things I can remember learning from my father about foraging. I was
very young, but the memory of picking and eating as we walked is one I cherish. We ate them
just off the bush, but I’ve come to learn that they are delicious in all sorts of recipes. The one
below is always a hit, and intrigues eaters when I tell them what it’s made with. You can also
use the wild plums for jelly, simply substitute it in the same proportion for the fruit your recipe
calls for.
Plum Bread:
2 cups diced plums
3 cups AP flour
1 cup Butter
1 ½ cups Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 Eggs
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Baking Soda
¾ Cup Vanilla Yogurt
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time. Sift together, flour, salt, cream of
tartar and baking soda. Alternate adding 1/3 yogurt and 1/3 flour mixture until all is blended
in. Gently fold in diced plums by hand. Fill two small buttered and floured bread pans, or one
large, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Juicier
plums may make for longer cooking time. Cool in pan before turning out. **you can also
butter your pans and “flour” them with plain white sugar for a great outer crust. The plums
will be tart enough that the extra sugar won’t be too much.
