24 February 2020

Mon prunier

This is a plum tree, un prunier, that I planted a decade ago here in Saint-Aignan. You can see what it (or they, because there are two of them planted together) looked like in their clay pots back in 2010. Here's what it looked like yesterday. I grew the two tress from plum pits, and just planted the of them as if they were one.


So many fruit trees are flowering right now. It's too early, but you can't stop them. The danger is that we have heavy frost or a freeze before springtime really arrives and we won't get any fruit. That happened last year, if I remember correctly. The few prunes that survived were half-eaten by birds as soon as they were ripe.


It doesn't matter, because the plum tree is an ornamental first of all. It blooms early, usually in March, and adds some color to the landscape. Above you can see it the way we see it right now from a back window of the house. Below too.


Finally, below is a close-up of some of the blossoms, which have a plummy color. Last year I made plum jelly, and I always make too much. We still have a lot of it on hand. Neither one of us eats big breakfasts, or enough peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, to use up all that much plum jelly.


Yesterday morning, the rain that was predicted didn't materialize, so I went looking for our local giant sequoia tree. I didn't really find it. I took a lot of pictures though, and I haven't yet had a chance to process them. You'd think a giant sequoia would just jump out you if it was in a photo, but I haven't really identified it yet.

9 comments:

  1. I think "in the fullness of time" you will find that giant sequoia! It's too large to remain hidden for long, I hope you do get some plums this year and think of something to do with them, or with the plum jelly you make. Some sort of tart or cake. A fruit soup for summer. Filling for crepes.

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  2. If you have too much of your delicious plum preserves, bring them to me when I am in Paris in May, they won't last long, I eat jam as if there was no tomorrow!

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    1. Ce n'est pas de la confiture, mais de la gelée, comme la gelée de pommes. Tu aimes ça?

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  3. Wow, it's really cool that you were able to grow them just from a plum pit, but I guess that makes sense, eh?

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  4. I love flowering trees in the springtime. A few have started to bloom here in Birmingham.

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  5. Forgot to wish you luck at finding the giant Sequoia. It will be easier to see before the hard woods leave out.

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  6. That sequoia is no doubt hiding in plain sight! Lovely blossoms on that prune. Crab apples are also a pretty bloom. Hmmm I wonder if one can make jam from those...

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