With their stunning dark foliage and delicate blossoms, purple leaf plums (also known as cherry plums) are a favorite in backyards across the country. They’re gorgeous, low-maintenance, and by September, they’re loaded with deep red fruit. But if you’ve ever looked at those tempting little plums and wondered, “Can I actually eat these?” you aren’t alone. Let’s dive into whether these garden beauties are edible or just for show.
Low-Maintenance Garden Gems
Purple leaf plums aren’t just a pretty face; they’re incredibly easy to care for. They handle most local climates like a champ, making them the perfect ornamental tree for just about any landscape.
Sweet, Healthy, and Loaded with Vitamins
Good news: the fruit of the purple leaf plum is completely safe for humans to eat! In fact, they’re actually quite healthy. They taste a bit like a cherry-mirabelle hybrid and are packed with vitamins.
One quick tip: make sure you wait until they are fully ripe. Eating unripe fruit can be a literal pain in the gut, often leading to stomach aches, heartburn, or a quick trip to the bathroom.
Keep an Eye on the Pits
While the juicy flesh is totally non-toxic, you need to be careful with the pits. Like many stone fruits, the seeds contain amygdalin, which can turn into cyanide if ingested.
While you’d generally have to eat a lot of pits to get seriously sick, it’s better to be safe than sorry—especially with kids or people with sensitive stomachs. Always remove the pits before snacking!
Harvest Time: Late September
After those beautiful spring blossoms fade in April, the tree starts developing its dark red fruit. They ripen throughout the summer, and by late September, it’s officially harvest time.
Here’s how to tell if they’re ready to pick:
- They have a deep, vibrant dark red color.
- The fruit feels plump and is very sensitive to the touch (they might even pop if you squeeze too hard!).
- They are soft and usually about 1.5 to 2 inches in size.
How to Enjoy Your Harvest
Since the fruit itself is safe, you can absolutely enjoy purple leaf plums raw. Just stick to the ripe ones and ditch the pits, and you’re good to go!
In the kitchen, you can treat these vitamin-rich plums just like any other stone fruit. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use the juicy flesh:
- As a colorful and delicious topping for tarts or cakes.
- Simmered down into jams, jellies, or fruit preserves.
- Pressed into fresh, tart juice.
Pro tip: Use them as soon as possible after picking. They don’t have a long shelf life and will lose their sweetness and juice (or start to rot) pretty quickly if left out.
If you can’t use them all at once, they freeze beautifully! Here’s how to prep them for the freezer:
- Give them a good wash.
- Remove the stems and pits.
- Slice the fruit into bite-sized pieces.
Pop them into a standard freezer bag, and they’ll keep that sweet summer flavor for months to come.
