Spring is here and our orchard is bearing beautiful fruit. Today we will talk about some fresh fruit dessert ideas, what to do with all these plums, and share our favorite plum recipes with you.

Fresh Fruit Desserts

The best part of having our own orchard is fresh fruit desserts. Not that we don’t have fun picking fruit as a family and eating it fresh from the tree. There is just nothing else like a sweet treat that you grew from your own land. It’s also a treat baking with your children and passing on family recipes and traditions or making new ones.

We have quite a few recipes in our recipe box to choose from. If you have peaches, then you will love our simple Healthy Peach Popsicles. If you are looking for something a little warmer, have a Farm Fresh Peach Crisp that everyone loves. If you have pomegranates, Pomegranate Pecan Swirled Chocolate Bark might be just what you are looking for! Another good use for your pomegranates is Pomegranate Jelly, which is a treat all on its own or can be added to a variety of recipes.

I know apples are popular and we have a few recipes for those too. One I think everyone should know is this easy Pressure Cooked Apple Butter Recipe. This Paleo Apple Galette is another family favorite that I would love for you to try. Finally, we have the Apple Pie Blondie Recipe which is sure to be the first thing gone at any family gathering.

What to Do with Plums

We have a lot of plums in our orchard and the question is what do we do with all these plums. I have a few plum recipes in my recipe box that we are going to share with you here soon. I even have a new one that might be my new favorite of the plum recipes to share with you today.

If you are lucky, you are going to get more plums than you can use right away. One easy way to save your plums is to freeze them. They will keep this way from six months to a year. Once you have cleaned your plums, cut them in half to remove the seeds and place them on a cookie sheet. You then freeze them overnight before putting them in a freezer baggie. Then just label and store them in your freezer. It can help to cut them into smaller pieces, but it really all depends on what you plan to use them for.

Another good use for plums that won’t make it into one of our plum recipes is to prune them. The best way to do this would be to have your own dehydrator. If that’s not an option you can use an oven. But How long does it take to prune plums in an oven? Once you remove the pits from the plums and place them on a baking rack over a cookie sheet on 200 degrees they should be ready in about eight hours. Make sure to check every few hours, results may vary but about eight hours is just right for most.

Plum Recipes

On to the plum recipes. We have a few in our recipe box already. Starting with the Easy Plum Galette which is a springtime treat that the whole family enjoys. The second of the two plum recipes already in our recipe box is our Homemade Plum Jam which is an excellent spread or could even be an ingredient for one of our future plum recipes.

The latest addition to our recipe box though is our Plum Oatmeal Bars.

Plum Oatmeal Bar Recipe

Ingredients:

Base/Topping

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ cup white sugar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup 2 whole sticks melted unsalted butter

• 2 teaspoon vanilla

Plum Filling

• 12 plums

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper allowing the ends to extend over two of the sides, spray with nonstick spray, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and position an oven rack at the top of the oven.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, all-purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the melted butter and vanilla. Stir until very crumbly.

3. Press half of the dough into the bottom of your baking pan and bake for 11 -14 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges.

4. While the crust is baking, chop the plums into 1-inch pieces. Layer the plums over the baked crust and sprinkle with the cornstarch. Sprinkle the remaining crust mixture on top.

5. Bake for 35 until the crust is light golden brown.

6. Cool completely then refrigerate for one hour. Use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan and cut them into squares. ENJOY!

Some of my favorite tools used to make this recipe:

• My FAVE bowls

• Measuring Cups

• Baking Pan

• Knives

• Sink Faucet

• Flour, Sugar, Oats Storage

   

Leave a comment below to let us know what you think of our latest addition to our recipe box!

Hugs,

Christina & Trevor