Beach Plumb Trees

Beach plumb trees used to be found in abundance up and down the coast of Long Island Sound. They grow well in the sandy silt just beyond the high tide line, where long grasses also grow. The short gnarled trees produce a berry that makes delicious jam that my grandfather would spread on toasted rye bread each morning. I helped my grandparents and parents harvest the small round berries from the trees in their yard. They would press the berries, keeping the juice and pulp, discarding the tough skins and produce enough thick sweet jam to feed a family of 12, or more as grandchildren entered into the picture. My grandfather tried for years to grow more trees by grafts, but with no success. It is my hope that homeowners will remember what a rare bounty beach plumb trees are, will cultivate the remaining few, and leave an opportunity for this species of tree to regenerate. It is sad to contemplate that the trees, berries, and jam have escaped general notice. I wish all of Long Island could taste beach plumb jam, to learn to appreciate this small, small-leaved, gnarled, humble-looking curiosity.