Families logo

Picking Plums

Mama's Wearing Pants!

By Nora DavisPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
4
Jonathan Creek (before plum season)

Through the lens of Mama, 1964.

Our plums are ready to pick approximately when other fruits and berries are ripe, therefore, it is a dreaded time for my children as they know they will be called upon to help with every vegetable, tuber, bean and fruit. I like to dress in Lathel’s khaki’s for this event--shirt, pants and hat so my children will figure out what is about to happen. Wake them around 5:00 am so they know it’s serious out there. Temperatures are at their hottest the last part of June and July. Dressing in long sleeves and pants protects from stings and keeps the body cool. My kids will dress in sleeveless tops and shorts. Wasps and bees like to start work when the sun shines brightly. They also love vegetables, tubers, beans, and fruit. I like to get in the garden before they do. Also, I can be alone and think.

Ok, I called them. They know the drill. Their job is to lay the sheets down under the plum trees after they have picked all the good ones that have fallen on the ground. If you wait too long on the plums, they will begin to sour. I go to the garden and begin picking corn, trusting my children will get up and get GOING!

My lens, the sluggish daughter:

I peek out my bedroom window and see mama in daddy’s khakis, (oh, NO!) stooped down and picking cucumbers with her garden hat on. That summer feeling of dismay hits me as I realize what the day will look like. I call my little sister and brother to get up. Our older brother will be out at the plum trees, too.

A slow bowl of Shredded Wheat and then I shuffle out the front door. The fragrance of the plums hits me in the summer morning heat. I have a love/hate relationship with plums. I love eating them, but hate preparing them. This morning, we are ready to pick the 2nd harvest. The first plums are always wormy, so not so fast on the early ones. Better to wait for round two. That’s what is happening now.

The tree limbs are so heavy with plums that they touch the ground, sometimes breaking the branches. A perfect plum has no wormholes, bruises or mold. That’s what motivated us to get out of bed, also Mama in pants. Johnny already got a couple of sheets. I begin picking off the ground and putting them in my plastic bowl. David and Deena are doing the same. (They are shorter and nearer the ground. Ha! Jokes help) “Is this a good one?” they ask. Looks ok to me, just put them in your bowls.

We maneuver the sheets under the best branches and begin to shake the trees using a broomstick or hoe handle to reach the very top. The plums start falling, good ones, bad ones--we’ll sort them out later. For now, we’re getting all that aren’t green. I take a bite of one that has a perfect mix of pink and a little green. Looks almost like a peach. I like the noise it makes when I bite into it. Firm and not too juicy, just right. The sheets are filling up and we’re ready to dump them into containers.

We have a lot. It’s gonna be a big day in the hot kitchen.

Most of this gathering, shucking, snapping, canning, jelly/jam making occurred before we had air conditioning. It’s hot and humid outside and like a sauna inside. Somehow, we’ll get the job done, even though we’d rather be at Jonathan Creek with our heads under water.

Mama came back in the house to assess the plum situation, leaving the Kentucky Wonders, corn and squash on the back porch to be dealt with later. All babies and toddlers must leave the kitchen. It will be too dangerous with all this hot stuff and handles sticking out all around the stove. The twins, Lisa, Jill, and various grandchildren scurry into the living room or go outside and figure out something to play.

Mama puts a large pot of water on the stove to sterilize the canning jars and lids. Everything must be super clean. We don’t want to do all that work and end up with mold on top of the jelly days later.

Wash the plums, transfer to a large pot and let them boil awhile. Now the golden juice begins to form, perfuming the kitchen with liquid summer.

Add the sugar, don’t forget the pectin. Norman doesn’t use it, he likes it jellied with just the sugar. Mama adds the Certo, (it’s just as good to me). Wait for the spoon to produce 2 drops that fall together when held above the liquid. Take the pot off the burner. She fills the pint jars with the translucent reddish-orange plum jelly and saves a little for tasting. Perfect.

Put the flat lids on, thread on the rings and wait for the seal to pop. We will count the pops all through the afternoon and have a grand hurrah when all 12 have sealed.

If we’re lucky, we’ll test the jelly out tonight with hot biscuits and butter for supper.

~Nora Davis

immediate family
4

About the Creator

Nora Davis

I hope the fables speak to you in a personal way and the family stories bring back special moments from your own tribe.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.