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["Lisa D. Ishimuro" <lishimuro@yahoo.com>]

Alan's post last week was a real help to me as my Stanley plum always yields but I was in a quandray as to when and if the fruit ever ripened.  Now I know.  The tree still had fruit on it, but some had brown rot (not that many) as I never sprayed this year. Yesterday I picked and filled a large colander and made jam. About 1/2 were very ripe, the others, still a litte hard, but fine for the jam. Delicious!! I used the Ball powdered pectin (took 6 cups fruit and 8 (!) cups sugar) and it set fine.  Now I have a question, has anyone dried this fruit, at home, for prunes?  I found a recipe I want to try for a prune & fig chutney, with red wine and honey, and it calls for these plums, rather prunes.  How long to they take to dry? Should they be very ripe when dried?   Now I will look for the variety that Alan recommended because my Stanley is delicious when ripe.  I guess all these plums ripen sporadically?

Yesterday was so hot and humid I stayed in and canned all day......

Zone 6, SE Pa.

Lisa Ishimuro
Environmental Protection Specialist II
Bucks County Conservation District
1456 Ferry Road
Doylestown, Pa. 18901
215-345-7577 Ext. 102

lishimuro@yahoo.com

www.bucksccd.org