Prudence

My Bible reading for today comes from the book of Proverbs.

A house and wealth are inherited from fathers,

but a prudent wife is from the Lord.  Proverbs 19:14

From the American Heritage Dictionary:

Prudent: Careful or wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment or common sense.

Prudence suggests foresight, developed skills, an ability of discernment, and an element of savviness in procuring and using resources. In speaking of homemaking, a prudent person contributes positively to the household, making decisions for the well-being of all and not just for their own benefit.

I strive to be prudent in my role in our home and family. I have a decent ability to foresee future needs and outcomes developed over years in my role. And I try to use what I have to prepare for future occasions and events.

How I'm trying to be prudent today

We have a large plum tree that is loaded with Italian Prune plums right now. The branches are burdened with the weight of plump blue and purple gems, sagging considerably, nearly touching the lawn.

I know that in winter we will be longing for homegrown fruit. My homegrown fruit is basically free and is never prayed with pesticides. And it tastes better than grocery store fruit. We can only eat so many fresh plums before they rot. It would be wasteful to simply allow the excess to spoil. 

So, I got outside this morning and picked 3 buckets of the ripest plums.  And they're now in the dehydrator turning into prunes. This tree's fruit will ripen over the course of a week to 10 days.  I will have to harvest plums daily and run the dehydrator 24/7 for a week to dry the bulk of the plums. But in the end, we'll have lots and lots of prunes to enjoy all winter.

Other ways we use our plums -- open-faced pie, plum kuchen, plum crumble, plum chutney, Chinese plum sauce, plum jam.