The Plum Crop

Remember that backyard plum tree that Dorothy purchased for $5.68 at Ernst in 1975? It seems it's ready.

I say 'plum', but what I really mean, and what is in fact on the Ernst receipt, is 'Italian Prune'. I am going happily along with the California Prune Board's remarketing efforts to discourage the images of Regularity conjured up by the 'prune' word.

I am not sure what to do with the crop this year, so I am simply pitting them and putting them in the Ginormous Freezer for later.

Last year, I tried making Plum Brandy, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but the product was not terribly popular with friends, even though I refrained from calling it Italian Prune Brandy. Of the 6 bottles I made, I still have 5 1/2 of them. Need some? Or perhaps I should peddle it at the local Senior Center?

This year, I'm thinking of dessert recipes - perhaps Purple Plum Pie, Plum and Walnut Crisp, or maybe Plum Berry Crisp. Pork dishes might be good too - Pork Chops with Gingered Plum Sauce looks yummy, and will no doubt leave fewer leftovers than the Plum Brandy experiment.