One Plant a Week: Wild Plum
This is the sixteenth post in our new series, One Plant a Week, where we learn a new, edible plant every week. That means that if you follow along, you’ll know 52 new plants after only a year of doing this. As our foraging expert guest Pascal Baudar said on the Wild Fish and Game Podcast, that will make you more of a wild plant expert than 99.99999% of the population.
We recommend you go out and find these plants if they exist in your region. You don’t necessarily have to harvest them; simply familiarize yourself with them and get to know them well. See them in their different phases of life, in different terrains and conditions. See who else likes to eat them (Bears? Squirrels?), pollinate them (Butterflies? Hummingbirds?), or use them (Nesting birds? Muskrats?). Use plant ID apps, along with foraging/ID books, online resources, and mentors to teach yourself about them more and to get comfortable enough with them that you can ID to 100% accuracy.
Then, if you feel confident enough, bring some home and try preparing some to eat. Try doing this with different specimens in different stages of life to see when it is best to harvest them. Knowing these plants through and through will transform the way you interact with the outdoors, as well as the way you see food. A warning though: this is an addictive hobby!
An additional warning: Plant ID apps are not 100% accurate, and you should not be eating ANYTHING wild unless you are 100% sure that it is safe to do so. Do not rely solely on one source for your information (including us), and do not eat anything unless you’ve properly identified it.
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This Week is All About Wild Plums!
North American wild plums (Prunus americana and related species) are a highly prized wild edible that have fed people and wildlife for centuries. Packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and dietary fiber, these small but flavorful fruits support immune health, aid digestion, and provide a natural energy boost. They were an important seasonal food for many Indigenous tribes and early settlers, both as a fresh fruit and as a preserved staple for the winter months.
Wild plums grow in a variety of environments across much of the United States and southern Canada, thriving along woodland edges, riverbanks, pastures, and hedgerows. They produce fruit in late summer to early fall (generally from August to early October), depending on location. The small, round to oval plums range in size from about 1–2 inches in diameter, with colors from yellow and orange to red and deep purple. Their flavor is often a perfect balance of sweet and tart, though some varieties lean more toward one end of the spectrum.
Historically, Native American tribes such as the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Pawnee used wild plums fresh, dried, or cooked into sauces and preserves. They were also mixed with meat and fat to make pemmican. Early settlers made use of wild plums in jams, jellies, pies, and fermented beverages. Today, foragers continue to celebrate the versatility of wild plums, bridging indigenous, European, and modern cooking and preparation methods, from pemmican, to fruit leathers, to kombuchas.
Description:
Wild plum trees are small, often forming dense thickets through root suckers. They typically grow 10–20 feet tall with a spreading, irregular crown and thorny branches. The bark is dark brown to gray and often rough, with vertical cracks. Their leaves are simple, alternate, and oval with finely serrated edges, measuring 2–4 inches long, and they turn yellow in the fall.
In early to mid-spring, before the leaves emerge, wild plums produce clusters of fragrant white flowers with five petals. These blossoms attract pollinators and are a key sign for identification before the fruit sets.
By late summer, the trees bear small, round to oval drupes with smooth skin that can range in color from golden yellow to dark red or purple, depending on the variety and ripeness. The fruit’s flesh is juicy and clings to a single large pit.
Wild plums are most commonly found along sunny forest edges, in fencerows, and near streams or open pastures where they receive ample sunlight. To harvest, wait until the fruit has developed full color and yields slightly to gentle pressure. Overripe fruit may fall to the ground, but the best flavor and texture come from plums picked directly from the tree when just ripe.
Lookalikes:
Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) – Produces small, dark red to nearly black berries in hanging clusters, not single fruits. Chokecherries are edible when processed but can be astringent raw. Leaves are narrower and more lance-shaped than wild plums.
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) – Bears small black fruits in clusters, and the bark has distinctive horizontal lenticels. Fruits are much smaller than plums and grow on long stems.
Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) – Has red fruits about the size of small plums, but the leaves are lobed and not oval-serrated. Hawthorns also have prominent thorns and a different flower structure.
Edibility:
To collect wild plums, gently twist or pull ripe fruits from the tree, being mindful of the thorns. Use a basket or breathable bag to avoid bruising. For longer shelf life, refrigerate unwashed plums in a single layer, where they can keep for up to two weeks. They can also be frozen whole or pitted for long-term storage, or processed immediately into preserves, syrups, or sauces.
Processing depends on the intended use. The skins and flesh are full of flavor and color, while the pits should be discarded as they contain small amounts of cyanogenic compounds. Wild plums can be eaten fresh, cooked, dried, or fermented, and their sweet-tart flavor works equally well in desserts, savory dishes, and beverages. Straining cooked plums through a food mill or sieve removes skins and pits, leaving a smooth pulp for further use.
10 Recommended Uses for Wild Plums
- Fresh eating right off the tree
- Wild plum jam or jelly
- Fruit leather made from puréed plums
- Plum wine, mead, or liqueur
- Chutney for pairing with roasted meats
- Plum barbecue sauce
- Syrups for cocktails or pancakes
- Plum pie or cobbler
- Glazes for grilled game or poultry
- Fermented plum vinegar
