Cape Cod Beach Plum

Prunus maritima Origin: Cape Cod, Massachusetts Improvement status: Wild Seeds per packet: ~10 BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED Life cycle: Perennial Beach plums are native to the northeast US coast from Virginia to Maine. They are most widely known and consumed in New Jersey and Massachusetts, especially in Cape May and Cape Cod, where they are both harvested wild and cultivated on a small scale. The fruit of beach plums are small and round, varying in size from penny to quarter, and varying in color from yellow-orange to red to blue to purple. The flavor — sour with a touch of sweetness and sometimes slight bitterness — is usually quite nice out of hand, but is greatly improved by cooking or brewing. It makes an utterly delicious jam or jelly, a fine wine, and a lovely vinegar too. Leaves can be used as a yellow or green dye, and a dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit. As a wild plant native to highly exposed dune environments, beach plums are very easy to