Foraging Wild Plums (Prunus spp.)

Wild plums are one of the most rewarding wild fruits you can find, but they come with a bit of delicious unpredictability. Like wild apples, each wild plum tree produces fruit that’s a little different—some are sweet and perfect for fresh eating, while others can be more tannic or sharply acidic, making them ideal for jelly, wine, or cooking.

Years ago I learned that plums grow wild parts of the United States just like apples, but I’d never run across any until this year.  The trees were small and scrubby, but they were absolutely covered in plums.

Just like apples, each tree has a slightly different taste in the wild, and some were barely palatable.  I came across about a dozen trees, all completely covered.  One tree, in particular, had sweet, tender and especially delicious red plums.

Because wild plums don’t come true to seed, every tree is unique. Some trees will produce sugary fruits that rival cultivated plums, while others may offer complex, mouth-puckering flavors better suited to preserves. Part of the fun of foraging wild plums is sampling different trees and discovering the incredible range of flavors nature provides.

Foragers have long prized wild plums for their versatility—they can be eaten fresh, cooked into preserves, fermented into wine, or dried for winter stores. Early settlers and Indigenous communities alike relied on them as an important seasonal food source.

Wild plum trees are hardy, prolific, and beautiful. Once you spot one heavy with fruit in late summer, you’ll wonder how you ever overlooked them before!

What are Wild Plums?

Wild plums (Prunus spp.) are a group of native North American fruit trees and shrubs known for their small, flavorful fruits. Several species are widely distributed, including American plum (Prunus americana), Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia), Canada plum (Prunus nigra), and Beach plum (Prunus maritima).

Wild plums typically grow as small trees or large shrubs, often forming thickets. They are perennial, leafing out early in the spring and producing fruit by late summer.

Are Wild Plums Edible?

Yes, wild plums are edible and highly valued for their sweet-tart fruit. The ripe fruits can be eaten raw, but they are also commonly cooked into jams, jellies, syrups, and wine. Wild plum pits, like all stone fruits, contain compounds that can release cyanide when crushed, so they should not be consumed. The fruit itself is safe and delicious when fully ripe.

I started searching for a good recipe to use them and found that wild plums actually have a lot of traditional uses.  According to Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie they were dried or made into sauces by the Native Americans, and were a common food source mentioned in pioneer journals.  

Wild Plum Medicinal Benefits

Historically, Native American tribes used parts of the wild plum tree for a variety of medicinal purposes, including as a treatment for mouth sores, digestive issues, and as a mild laxative. Decoctions of the bark were sometimes used for treating wounds or coughs.

While it makes sense that wild plums would have medicinal uses just like wild cherry bark, studies in the 1970’s confirmed that it has many of the same uses.  According to Medical Botany, wild plum root and bark contain a compound called phloretin which is naturally antibacterial.

Modern studies have also confirmed that many Prunus species contain antioxidant compounds, including flavonoids and phenolic acids, which may have anti-inflammatory and health-promoting effects.

Where to Find Wild Plums

Wild plums are widespread across much of North America. American plum grows throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and parts of the Southeast. Chickasaw plum thrives in the southern U.S., especially in sandy soils, while Beach plum is native to coastal areas from Maine to Maryland.

Wild plums prefer sunny locations with well-drained soils and are often found along woodland edges, riverbanks, roadsides, and old fields.

When to Find Wild Plums

Wild plum trees flower in early to mid-spring, typically between March and May depending on the region. Fruit ripens from late summer into early fall, usually from August through September.

In southern areas, fruits may ripen earlier, while northern climates may see harvests extending into early October.

Identifying Wild Plums

Wild plums are small trees or shrubs with a rounded crown and often form dense thickets. They have grayish-brown bark that can peel or flake with age. In early spring, they are covered in clusters of fragrant white flowers before the leaves emerge.

Later in the season, they produce small, colorful fruits that can range from yellow to deep red or purple.

Wild Plum Leaves

The leaves are simple, alternate, and oval-shaped with finely serrated margins. They typically measure 2 to 4 inches long.

Leaves are medium to dark green during the growing season and may turn yellow or reddish in the fall.

Wild Plum Stems

Stems are slender, with young shoots often reddish in color. Older branches develop grayish bark that becomes scaly or flaky as the tree matures.

Thorns are sometimes present, particularly in Chickasaw plum thickets.

Wild Plum Flowers

Wild plum flowers appear in early spring, usually before the leaves emerge. Each flower has five white petals and numerous yellow-tipped stamens.

Flowers are typically less than an inch across and are borne in clusters of two to five.

Wild Plum Fruit

The fruit is a small drupe about 1 inch in diameter, although size can vary by species and growing conditions. Fruits start green and mature to yellow, red, purple, or nearly black.

The flesh is juicy and sweet-tart, surrounding a single large pit.

Wild Plum Look-Alikes

A number of other edible wild fruits can look a bit like wild plum, at least in early stages of development. Once the fruit are mature, there’s not really anything that looks like a wild plum. Still, be on the lookout for:

• Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana): Chokecherry trees produce similar clusters of fruit, but the berries are smaller (less than ½ inch) and grow in long racemes rather than singly or in small groups.
• Black Cherry (Prunus serotina): Black cherry fruits are darker, almost black when ripe, and grow in hanging clusters. Leaves are narrower with fine serrations.
• Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.): Hawthorn trees produce red fruits around the same size, but hawthorn fruits contain multiple seeds rather than a single pit.

Ways to Use Wild Plums

Wild plums are exceptionally versatile. Fresh fruits can be eaten out of hand, though they are often best when slightly overripe to develop maximum sweetness.

They are ideal for making jams, jellies, syrups, fruit leathers, and wine. Wild plums also work well in savory applications like glazes for meats or chutneys.

Medicinally, teas and decoctions made from the bark were used historically to treat digestive issues and minor wounds, though modern medicinal use of wild plum bark is rare.

I didn’t collect any bark or roots, but I do now have this tasty fruit.  They were small enough that I was able to easily pit them with my favorite cherry pitter.  The only real thing to keep in mind is that you need to place the plums on the pitter stem side up.  

Cherry pits are nearly round, while plum pits are more almond-shaped.  This different shape means they need to be pushed out vertically so they don’t rip too much flesh out or lodge in the pitter as they’re removed.

Depending on their flavor, wild plums can be used just about anywhere you’d use cultivated plums. They make wonderful plum jelly or plum jam, and they’re perfect for plum wine!

When making wine, you just gently crush the fruit so they release their juices and you don’t have to pit them.

By far the simplest (and most popular) way to use them is in a wild plum jam, provided you have sweet fruit without too much tannin.

Edible Wild Fruit

Wild plums aren’t the only delicious fruits ripening in the late summer and early fall. Hackberries are another wild treat that matures around the same time, offering a sweet pulp and crunchy edible seed. If you’re near open fields or woodland edges, you might also come across serviceberries, which ripen earlier in the season and taste like a cross between blueberries and almonds.

In similar habitats, especially near rivers and moist woodlands, chokecherries thrive. Though more astringent than wild plums, they’re perfect for jellies and syrups.

If you’re foraging in sunny thickets or abandoned fields, keep an eye out for wild grapes, whose tart fruits are perfect for homemade juice and wine. Autumn olive is another prolific fruiter in disturbed soils, offering tiny red speckled berries that are tart-sweet and rich in lycopene. Finally, if you stick around into late summer and early fall, wild elderberries will be hanging heavy on their stems, ready for syrups, jellies, and elderberry wine.