We have plums coming out our ears right now! What a silly idiom, but wait, I digress. We have more plums than we could ever eat. We give away most of them, I try to use them fresh in recipes, and I will be freezing some also.
This past week, I made a recipe for a plum crumb cake. Pretty standard, but too sweet for my liking. Yesterday morning, I sliced a bunch of plums, eighteen to be exact, added two drops of wild orange essential oil and two drops of cardamom essential oil. I stirred it up to mix the flavors, buttered a baking dish, and poured them in. On top of that I poured a batch of Dutch Baby batter, then cooked it. That was delicious! No sugar added to the plums and none in the batter. It was like a soft crust pie. The purple skin made for a beautiful colored thick juice that bubbles up through cracks in the batter, and the flesh turned a gorgeous orange color.
My pondering started after the first bite. Why do we always have to add sugar to fruit recipes? Is there a reason? Or do we just do it because that is what our forefathers did and it has become the norm?
I know that fruit straight from the tree takes way better than store bought fruit. So, I understand having to add sugar to it. Maybe, back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth (she said for the sake of her grandkids who are reading this), maybe pioneers had to use fruit hat wasn’t quite ripe if the weather turned too early, and sugar was their way of helping he flavor while not letting anything go to waste.
Whatever the reason, I want to learn to cook without all the added sugar. It’s better for me. I am grateful for the trees we have on our current neighborhood lot. One tree can bless so many hungry people. The miracle of a tree producing fruit always fosters a heart of gratitude towards the Creator.
I hope you see the little miracles in life today, and that they bring a smile to your face, and refresh your soul. A smile, a baby, a flower, a cloud. Find your miracle today and be glad!!
An Ordinary Life 