At SAVEUR, a holiday weekend means only one thing: more time to cook. And If we’re lucky enough to find Italian plums at the farmers’ market, we’ll be taking a page out of Girl Meets Dirt founder Audra Lawlor’s book and making jam. Writer Beth Graham’s piece takes us to Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state, where Lawlor is producing the most incredible preserves from fruit that would otherwise go to waste. Nestled within a mild, sunny microclimate, the island was once covered with thriving orchards, many of which went long-abandoned. Enter Lawlor: some people leave their corporate jobs to rescue animals; she left Wall Street to rescue Italian plums, pink pearl apples, and Orcas pears. She’s on a mission to save the local fruit trees and jar their bounty, making everything from jams and jellies to fruit pastes and shrubs.
Start with Lawlor’s Italian plum jam, plumbrillo, and plum shrub, then dive into all our recipes for summer preserves. And if you don’t feel like jamming this weekend, we’ve got plenty of non-preserving recipes starring juicy plums. Or if you’re in the mood for another fruit entirely, our editor-in-chief Stacy Adimando’s ode to sour cherries would be a wise next click. Here in New York City, the ephemeral little fruits are gone in the blink of an eye. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere the season isn’t over yet, consider making a pie and a crumble while you still have the chance.
