The Native Gourmet Treat in Your Front Yard

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Native Gourmet

Gracing parking lots and suburban yards is a gourmet delight so secret that you’ll swear it’s a conspiracy. Birds and squirrels know this hidden treasure but they’ll never tell. One online reference on how to tap into the succulent treat comes from a relatively unknown cay in Belize. Few Floridians have ever tasted its subtle sweetness and many don’t even know it can be eaten. This native south Florida shrub requires no special care, will flower on and off throughout the year and if left to grow into a small tree it will reward you with bountiful fruits. You can even crack open the six-segment central shell to get at the tasty nut (really a seed). Many will tell you the fruit will make a delicious jelly or jam, but try to find someone who has actually done it. What is this mysterious plant? The surprising answer is Chrysobalanus icaco, also known as cocoplum.

The fresh fruit can range from the size of a ping pong ball to as small as an olive and has a slightly sweet, mild flavor. The interior nut is pistachio-sized and is sometimes described as tasting like an almond, coconut, or peanut. The real magic happens when you cook the fruit with a little water and some cinnamon sticks. (The flavor resembles a really rich, deep grape with a berry finish.) The resulting juice can then be turned into dessert sauce, jam, jelly, candy, liqueur, brittle or even ice cream.

To make the jam, you will need at least 200 cocoplums. You can find them in city parks, along roadsides, in parking lots - any place the plants haven't been pruned too severely. The only caveat is to pick places where you are sure no pesticides have been used. (I usually go by the presence of insect life.) They are common in the wild and if you are out that way and not on a state preserve or national wildlife refuge, you can collect them there, too.

Wash the plums well and place in a pot with enough water to cover and two cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1.5 hours. You may need to add water, so check on it every now and then. Soon your kitchen with fill with a heavenly aroma - your first hint at the delicacy to come.

Once the liquid is a dark purple and the fruits are soft, remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool. You will be separating the meager pulp from the nut for the next stage. I imagine there are machines that can separate the pulp from the pit, but I don't own one so I put on some clean gloves and squeezed the nuts free. This took a little while. The nuts are tasty on their own so I put them aside to dry.

As you can see, the nut is in a segmented shell. This opens easily by pinching along the seams. The shell is in six segments, which I found fascinating. They are about the size of pistachios. Here is what the nut meat looks like:

I tried roasting the nuts but I like them better not roasted.

The yield was about two cups of pulp. I used the recipe for quick & easy freezer jam and followed the directions described for strawberries since cocoplums are not a well-known fruit. I stirred in one cup brown sugar and 3 cups white (mostly because I ran out of brown sugar). Stir the sugar into the fruit pulp and let sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. While that is blending, add one box of pectin (1.75 oz) and 3/4 cup of water in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute. My pot wanted to boil over so I had to stir pretty fast and really reduce the heat. Once this is done, add the pectin liquid to the pulp/sugar mixture and stir until most of the crystals are melted. I heated the mixture a little but I'm not sure that was necessary. It should take about 3 minutes or so until it is smooth and not grainy. Pour the jam into clean, sterile containers and leave about a 1/2 inch gap at the top for expansion if you plan to freeze it. Cap them. (These are screw on lids.)

 Let it sit out for 24 hours and then refrigerate or freeze. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks and in the freezer for about a year. I gave a lot of mine away to neighbors because I want to promote this yummy treat. You can use this jam in so many ways. Use it over meats, on desserts (it is great over key lime pie), on brie or goat cheese. Use it in vinaigrettes. Chop the nuts and stir them into the jam for a yummy conserve. Let your imagination soar. This is a dooryard fruit that needs to be explored.

Bon Appetit!

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