Hi dougnjess, I am interested in trading for your Green Paty Pan, Chard Bright lights and amash paste tomato. I think I have some things on your wish list. Thanks, Catrina

From St. Lawrence Nursery's website Cherry-plums resulted from crosses made in the early 1900's between Prunus besseyi (sand cherry) and various plums. Plant breeders wanted to produce a fruit hardy enough to withstand the severe winters of the northern Great Plains. Even if you can't grow plums or cherries due to late frosts or extreme winter temperatures, you may be able to grow cherry-plums. They grow as small trees (6-8 ft. at maturity,) and are hardier and more resistant to drought and late spring frosts than any of the cherries or plums that we offer. Cherry-plums yield a small, plum-like fruit that is fair eaten fresh, but not as good quality as a true plum. Their life span is 10-15 years. Cross-pollination is necessary, so plant at least one two different varieties. Alternatively, pollination can be accomplished with a Native American or Manchurian seedling plum or with any of the ``A'' group of grafted plums. They should be spaced 4 to 8 feet apart. Price  2 to 4 ft. trees $18.00 each Cherry-plum varieties are list below. CHERRY-PLUMS Compass Yellow-red fruit with sweet, juicy yellow flesh, sour skin. Ripens in late August. Good for jams and sauces. Sapalta Ripening with Compass or slightly earlier, this fruit is dark purple inside and out. It has juicy sweet flesh, sour skin, and is nearly freestone. Deep Purple Deep purple skin and flesh. Large size, over 1 inch, meaty with small pit. Sweet pleasant flavor. Ripens mid-August. Plant has a prostrate growing habit, but may be trained upright for a more tree-like shape. btw. I have no affiliation with St. Lawrence Nursery other than having been a satisfied customer! ~Chills Here is a link that might be useful: St. Lawrence Nursery

Actually they aren't the landscaping flowering plum trees. I think the landscape company that did this commercial area THOUGHT they were planting flowering plum. DH and I went back today and 'harvested' a grocery bag full of these plums. The tree that I had initially taken fruit from was picked bare! I believe that tree is an actual Cherry Plum Tree. Those plums were exactly as those in the link I posted above with very tart yellow flesh. The tree next to it had plums the size of apricots -- dark reddish purple on the outside and red/burgundy flesh. The taste of this particular plum was very sweet with a tart aftertaste. DH was grumpy until he started to eat them and then he really began to pick! Tomorrow is jam/jelly making day. After I taste the jam -- DH and I might 'adopt' those trees and fertilize/spray them each year. We had a peach tree on the side of the interstate for 3 years -- we kept it in really good condition and harvested bushels of peaches -- then some unsavory folks began to live under the overpass -- we left the tree to them. DL

Funny - I was just thinking about this over the weekend - planning what and how much we should can this year. I made some elderberry-port wine jelly and it makes a great sauce for meat. Melt some, add some broth, thicken and serve with grilled steaks or filets (we eat a lot of venison and this flavor goes wonderfully with that). It would be good on pork, too. I've started putting up most things "plain" - beets, tomatoes, peaches, cherries, etc. so I can tweak them however I want when I open the jar. Instead of jam, I make fruit chutneys instead. Rhubarb, gooseberry, cranberry and plum so far. DH loves them with meat or on a sandwich, and if I get my once-in-a-blue-moon craving for a PB&J, I just use one of the sweeter chutneys. They work for both sweet and savory. Great with a fruit and cheese plate, too, which we have for dessert a lot in the summer. I still make some jellies and jams, but mostly for gifts, so I make small 4 oz. jars, which everyone loves for Christmas. I finally used up the applesauce from last year. We don't eat it by itself, so I use it in quick breads (any that call for a cup of vegetable oil, I substitute 1/2 cup of applesauce for 1/2 of the oil).