Need a reason to celebrate? The fruit season is on with plums and apricots adorning our neighborhood trees. What better time than to start a batch of plum wine or jam? Found Fruit happens simply by asking - Place a want ad on Craigslist or Freecycle to get started. Many of our neighbors have fruit trees and are simply too busy to utilize the fruit or their trees produce more fruit than they can use. I usually offer to share jam or wine with our neighbors if the batch turns out well. The plums pictured to the left were small and tangy - too tangy to eat - but boy did they make some good wine. The owners would never have utilized this fruit. Neighbors sometimes are happy to part with fruit because it damages their lawns or their dogs eat the fruit. If you have fruit that you wish to part with, you can also try bartering with your neighbors for other fruit or vegetables. You can also contact fruit gleaning programs who will deliver the produce to shelters. Here is a simple recipe for starting a 1 gallon batch of plum wine:
