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 19:14From 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.
That's a lot of plums coming ripe in a short amount of time. Good luck with processing them. Do you every can them?
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteI haven't canned plums, as is, before. It makes more sense for me to dehydrate or freeze them. Canning requires a lot of sugar. Dehydrating takes up a lot less space, can be kept at room temperature if needed (although I keep the dried one in the freezer, just in case I didn't get all of the moisture out), and doesn't require any sugar. I do freeze a small amount to use in kuchens or pies in winter.
It is a lot to pick and process in a short amount of time. And it's a shame the fresh ones only keep a couple of weeks in the fridge after picking. But we make do with what we've been given. And I'm very grateful to have them, even if that does mean a lot of work.
I love prune plums. I have canned, frozen, and dehydrated them. I always can them without sugar. They are nice and tart, and I like mixing them with yogurt.
ReplyDeletePlum jelly is my favorite!!! You could always freeze some to make a jelly later.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone in your neighborhood has a bumper crop or other produce (maybe pears or apples) and would want to trade to add more variety?
A couple of weeks ago, in the course of my studies, I came across a research study linking prune consumption to stronger bones in post-menopausal women. Just throwing that out there as one more encouragement for those delicious prunes you will have! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35798020/ Proud of you for your prudence in preserving those plums into prunes!
ReplyDeletePlum jam is a favorite for me too. Sounds like a real blessing to have such a harvest!
ReplyDelete