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Vol 12, Iss 14 Does anyone out there remember when Sand Plums ripen?

It seems like it is around the last of June or first of July when the sand plums are ready for picking, but I could be wrong on that. I am only a Pug Dog, you know!

If anyone from Kansas or Oklahoma knows for sure when sand plums ripen for the pickin', please inform us! The Prairie Connection would also like to have your sand plum recipes, stories, etc... for a future issue in The Prairie Connection. Contact: Rosalea Hostetler at Email: wepreserve@balmerfund.org with your sand plum recipes and stories.

A 7.2 earthquake shook up northern Mexico along the border between California and Mexico this weekend.

Los Angeles and San Diego were fortunate to escape Sunday's 7.2 earthquake without much damage, BUT ... Calexico, the California city right along the Mexican border, was not so lucky. Calexico, Mexico took more damage than any other American city, with old buildings from the 1930s and 1940s taking damage.

They say, "Buildings are tipped up. Cars are smashed. It's horrible. Everyone is running," said one eyewitness. Things were even worse in its twin Mexican border city, Mexicali, where both of the earthquake's reported deaths occurred.

As we leave you to finish off this first full week of April 2010, we leave you with the memory of a great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated over forty years ago (42 years), at 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968, as a sniper shot rang out in Memphis, Tennessee, as Dr. King, Jr., was standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. That sniper's shot left Dr. King sprawled on the balcony's floor, with a gaping wound that covered a large portion of his jaw and neck.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to non-violent protest.

The quote we leave you with today from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is, "Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it."

Good Night and Good Luck!
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Sand Plum Jelly Recipe

Vol 12, Iss 24 Oklahoma - It is June! Sand Plums are ripening in Oklahoma now! We did a search back through our OkieLegacy archives and found this recipe for Sand Plum Jelly that we received from a lady a few years ago. My mother (Vada Paris McGill) used semi-ripened sand plums along with ripened plums which gave an excellence blend of tart, sweet to the jelly.

Helen Ruth's Sand Plum Jelly
4 pounds sand plums, 3 pounds ripe and 1 pound under-ripe; 1 cup water; 1 package powdered pectin (1 3/4 ounces); 7 cups sugar.

The cherry-sized sand plum of the American Southwest is kin to the beach plum, that favorite for preserves from the sandy coasts of the Northeast up into the Canadian Maritimes.

The sand plum is ripe in early June; the season for beach plums starts around the middle of August; the sand plum is a lovely pink when ripe, the beach plum is purple for conserve later in the month but is picked red for jelly. Both varieties gel better if at least one-fourth the amount of fruit is not quite ripe, thus having more natural pectin.

Wash and pick over the plums; do not pit or peel. Crush them in the bottom of a large enameled kettle with the 1 cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Crush again with a vegetable masher as the fruit softens. Strain juice. Return juice to the kettle, reserving 1 cup in which to mix the pectin; combine pectin mixture with juice and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.

Add the sugar, continue stirring, and boil hard for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, skim, and immediately pour into hot 1/2-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headroom. Cap with two-piece screwband lids. Give a 5 minute B-W bath." View/Write Comments (count 1)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Request For Sand Plum Jelly & Other Recipes

Vol 12, Iss 14 The Prairie Connection (Email: wepreserve@balmerfund.org) through Rosalea Hostetler is requesting, "Sand Plum Jelly and other recipes to feature in the near future issue of the Prairie Connection.

Rosalea also says, "Yesterday (Easter) I took the slow, back road south of Anthony, thru Manchester, Nash and Carrier on my way to OK City for Easter dinner with my sister-in-law, Lawanda McClaflin Hostetler Allison (my brothers widow). The roadsides were filled with the most amazing lush large bushes of blooming sand plums! They were simply stunning and beautiful, like a gigantic picture book!

"I can't remember what month they will be ripe for plucking, but my mouth was watering thinking of some of the jellies, jams and butters I've had in the past. Also, does anyone have any recipes where they are used in baking?

"Yes, I could probably get some off the Internet, but it's a lot more fun to have REAL people make the suggestions! Also, if there is a small rural gift shop that sells jars of the goodies, it would be fun to mention it!"
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