Itching to Pick

We’ve called our new book Itching to Pick. In this book, coauthored with Rita Anne Garrick, we explore the natural and social history as well as the culinary uses of the beach plum.

We provide vital information about how to identify, find, harvest, prepare, eat, and propagate Prunus maritima.

Where possible we will review the history, lore and current status of the interest in beach plums at various locales, such as Cape May County, NJ, Staten Island, NY and Long Island, NY, Martha’s Vineyard, Chatham on Cape Cod and Nantucket.

The book will also reprint poetry and fine art about beach plums.

Beach Plum Rustic Tart

A New Beach Plum Book for Children, in progress

I’m still here in beach plum land indulging my passion for this small fruit of a native seaside woody shrub found from Maryland to Maine and known for its spectacular jelly.

The Beach Plum Guard

II’ve completed the text for a children’s picture book called The Beach Plum Guard, which depicts the ongoing tradition of families who gather wild beach plums at the seashore. In this story a sister and brother, while searching for beach plums in their seaside neighborhood on Cape Cod, encounter a man watching over some ripening beach plums. After a brief encounter, they interpret his actions as menacing but subsequently learn from a neighbor the reason why he guards these plums. With the help of the neighbor the children and their mother are introduced to the elderly man. He then gives them permission to pick the beach plums if they will make some jelly for him.

The manuscript includes recipes for beach plum jelly and syrup, a brief guide to help readers find beach plums and some fun facts about this plant.

Beach Plum Jelly, cooling