Illawarra Plum

Illawarra Plum

Ever eat an Illawarra Plum? Ever eat the fruit of a pine tree? Well, you can kill two birds with one stone by eating an Illawarra Plum and get a new 'first' under your belt.

The Illawarra Plum is a native of Australia, found on the south coast of New South Wales. The native bushmen consider it a real treat, and whether they knew it was high in vitamin C or not, they did use it when they got sick to help them get better. Current city builders use the tree in parks and gardens for its aesthetic properties as it is a dark green, conical-shaped evergreen.

Other than as a sauce or condiment, the fruit of the Illawarra Plum is not eaten 'as is' except by the Aborigines. The flavor of the dark purple-black seedless fruit, which is the size of a small plum, resembles a piney grape. In fact, some call this fruit a pine plum. Other names for the tree are brown pine, Australian plum, she pine and yellow pine. However you slice it, do slice it. The seed is attached outside the fruit and that seed is not consumed, it is discarded. The fruit has a stem growing through it and it is highly recommended that you take the time to slice the plum and remove the stem or the resulting jam or compote will be unbearably resinous. Yes, it is tedious, but well worth your while.

The taste may be an acquired pleasure, but since the fresh fruit of the Illawarra Plum is not available except in the Land Down Under, the majority of the world will have a slim chance of acquiring that pleasure. There are several enterprising companies that are trying to tempt the consuming public around the world and the Internet is part of their new connection. You won't get the fresh fruit, but you can taste some of the finished Illawarra Plum products.

One of the best recipes for Illawarra Plum Jam is shared by Laurel E. Dyson. She also writes that in the rain forests south of Sydney, possums come along and pluck the seed, suck the blue fruit off around its piney stem, tossing the seed down on the ground. She continues, "There are always lots left for humans. They make an exceptionally fine, dark jam with a rich fruity flavour touched with resin."

ILLAWARRA PLUM JAM

Ingredients:

1 kg (2 lb) Illawarra Plums

1 kg (2 lb) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

juice of 2 lemons

1 cup of water

1 kg (2 lb) sugar

Gather the Illawarra Plum quantity needed from the female trees in May. Twist the seeds off and rinse the fruit in a colander. With a vegetable knife, slice in half, lengthwise. Cut a small 'v' around the piney stem that runs down the middle, discarding it. This is a bit fiddly, but leaving the stems will make the jam unbearably resinous.

Place the stemmed Illawarra Plum flesh in a preserving pan* with the apples, lemon juice and water. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Add the sugar, bring to a rapid boil and cook, stirring, for about 30 minutes until it jells. Bottle immediately and seal.

* Tip: It is highly recommended that you use stainless steel pots for your Illawarra Plum and apple cooking to prevent discoloration.