flipLong Island Beach Plum Jam
Long Island Beach Plum Jam
Why this dish? Cold Spring Harbor borders the Long Island coast, where wild beach plums grow in the dunes, picked by locals in late summer. For a self-sufficient scientist attentive to the surrounding nature, putting this local harvest into jars extends the season like preserving a precious sample.
A ruby jam, both tart and sweet, made from the small wild plums of the dunes. It is put up for winter and spread on walnut bread on gray days.
At the end of summer, the seaside dunes were covered with small wild plums, tart if you ate them raw, but magnificent once cooked. I would fill a bucket and put them on the fire with sugar until a drop set on a cold plate. Putting them in jars is preserving a season — exactly what I did, in essence, with my labeled corn kernels. A bit of this jam on a slice of walnut bread, and the whole autumn fit in a spoonful.
- •Wild beach plums — one bucket, pitted (base fruit)
- •Sugar — almost as much as fruit (preservation and sweetness)
- •Water — a splash (cooking starter)
Long Island Beach Plum Jam
A ruby jam, both tart and sweet, made from the small wild plums of the dunes. It is put up for winter and spread on walnut bread on gray days.
Why this dish? Cold Spring Harbor borders the Long Island coast, where wild beach plums grow in the dunes, picked by locals in late summer. For a self-sufficient scientist attentive to the surrounding nature, putting this local harvest into jars extends the season like preserving a precious sample.
At the end of summer, the seaside dunes were covered with small wild plums, tart if you ate them raw, but magnificent once cooked. I would fill a bucket and put them on the fire with sugar until a drop set on a cold plate. Putting them in jars is preserving a season — exactly what I did, in essence, with my labeled corn kernels. A bit of this jam on a slice of walnut bread, and the whole autumn fit in a spoonful.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wild beach plums — one bucket, pitted (base fruit)
- Sugar — almost as much as fruit (preservation and sweetness)
- Water — a splash (cooking starter)
Ingredients
- Beach plums (or small tart plums / damson plums) — 1 kg, pitted (base fruit)
- Granulated sugar — 750 g (preservation and sweetness)
- Lemon juice — 1 lemon (acidity and set)
- Water — 100 ml (cooking starter)
Method
- Wash and pit the plums (beach plums are small: arm yourself with patience).
- Place the fruit with water in a preserving pan and stew for 10 minutes over low heat to soften.
- Add the sugar and lemon juice, then bring to a rolling boil.
- Cook for 20-30 minutes, skimming, until a drop sets on a plate taken from the freezer.
- Pour boiling into sterilized jars, seal immediately, and invert to create a vacuum.
- Label and date: the jam keeps for several months in a cool, dark place.
How it was made : The beach plum (Prunus maritima) is a wild fruit emblematic of the northeastern American coast, harvested for generations by coastal communities, who made jam and jelly rather than eating it raw, as it is too tart. Home canning in the 20th century was a common domestic skill for getting through winter.
The contemporary twist : Add a split vanilla pod at the end of cooking and present the jam in small hand-labeled jars styled like 'laboratory samples.'
Barbara McClintock · Charactorium
