A few years ago the old gnarled plum tree in the garden stopped producing any fruit. It was so very old and overgrown and I knew it might not make it through another winter.
I missed being able to go out and pick the sweet prune plums it reliably produced each August. I almost missed shooing away the old Italian men who would lean over the fence to pilfer a ripe plum (or five) and smile sweetly at me when I caught them, assuring me that “the owner said I could help myself!”.
What else could be done other than to call the arborist and, upon his recommendation, prune the poor old plum tree within an inch of it’s life.
The tree survived the winter but did not blossom and produced no plums. Same the following year.
This year, however, the tree was filled with fragrant spring blossoms. I held my breath. By late June I could see the baby, unripe plums hanging from the branches. I crossed my fingers.
And now, in early September we have a bumper crop of deep purple beauties that bring such a smile to my face.
We have been eating them out of hand and sharing them with the neighbours. Now it was time for a plum cake. The sweet tart plums combined with a cake spiced with nutmeg and cardamom.
If you happen to have some prune plums on hand and feel like giving this recipe a try you can find it here. This cake is wonderful all on its own but if you feel like gilding the lily you can serve this with a bit of whipping cream that has been scented with some cardamom.
xo J
PS I haven’t forgotten about the peach jam recipe and will post it on Thursday or Friday when I have just a bit more time.