GOOSEBERRY PIE -- OR PLUM COBBLER?

If you like my gooseberry pie, wait till you taste my plum cobbler . . .

Mike and I picked plums from the plum trees in the gully south of the house yesterday. We know of other stands of these trees -- on Dobson Road and also on the June Dobson property. I would like more information about these plums but my online research has been inconclusive. My basic questions are: Are these trees native or were they planted by homesteaders? What is the variety? Are they wild plums or American plums? One site said there are no wild plums in Idaho, but Grangeville’s website invites us to pick the wild plums. At one time I thought they were Damson plums, but I read that Damsons are tart. We would characterize these as sweet.

Here’s what I know: The trees are old and obviously tolerant of both cold and drought. The fruit is good right off the tree and especially so when ripe. It makes a delicious cobbler and wonderful preserves but does not dry well. The stand in the gully is a favorite with the deer; they bed down under those trees. The trees seem to bear most every year, though occasionally they don’t. I thought that was because the frost caught the blossoms, but I read that wild plums are beginning to bear every other year. The average fruit is about the size of the oval when I touch my index finger to my thumb – bigger than marbles but much smaller than the plums you buy. I would appreciate any information my learned readership can provide.

I remember Mother and Daddy canning Italian prunes when I was a youngster. I loved those, but I don’t know where the fruit came from. It’s not hard to pick. I think it’s surprising we didn’t pay more attention to those plum trees over the years. KW