American Wild Plum (Prunus americana)

Family: Rosaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Thicket-forming small tree covered in snowy white fragrant blossoms in spring, yielding heavy crops of yellow, orange, and crimson plums.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Sweet, honeyed, apricot-peach pulp paired with a pleasantly tart, tangy skin. — Eaten fresh when fruit softens and yields to gentle thumb pressure; Simmered with honey or sugar into classic American wild plum butter and preserves; Pitted and dried into sweet sun-dried fruit leathers; Used in savory wild plum sauces for roast poultry and game

Habitat & North American Range

Stream borders, fencerows, prairie woodland margins, roadsides, and valley slopes. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)