This summer day I got dressed, grabbed my favorite apron and went to the plum tree.
This California native plum is in my mother's backyard and its forty feet tall. I set my basket in the crook of a limb and got to picking.
There are thousands of plums this year. More than I've ever seen in the twenty years I've been picking them.
I filled my basket and picked some for a friend and went to deliver. We ended up visiting for an hour. We talked about cooking, and books and even canning.
Home again with my basket, and some fresh geraniums from mom's garden.
Don't they look just like rosebuds? After the flowers fade I plant them and they just root so well. I've got rosebud geraniums all over the garden.
I decided to make a clafouti. My first one. I mixed it up and put in in the oven.
I did a little housework.
Well, I washed the dishes at least!
Emptied the kiln
The clafouti was done so I tried a piece. I sifted powdered sugar over it just like they do in France.
I thought it would be more like cake, but it was almost like a fruit custard. I guess I liked it, though.
I've still got an awful lot of plums. And the tree is laden still!
So I ordered a new canning book. I've heard good things about this. I'll let you know.Might be plum jam appearing on my shelves soon.
xxx
hope you are having a wonderful summer
juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com
71 comments:
I love the new style mug with the fancy handle. Also a custard style plum dessert sounds delicious. Best of luck with the plum jam, you will certainly be busy.
My last blog read of the evening, I'll now go to bed with a smile on my face and dream of plums! Beautiful cups!!!!
can you see me grinning? yep... : )
everything here is making me have a big smile, but nothing more than that little head besides the geraniums. oh my... what a sweet head...
those plums are very smile making too, and so is every single piece of pottery in this post.
ahhhh.... thank you, julie...
xoxo
How lucky are you to have access to such gorgeous fruit. Plums are so versatile you are going to enjoy using them in so many recipes. I will look forward to seeing what kind of jam you will be making with them. Happy cooking!!
It's not Christmas but you have visions of Sugar Plums dancing in my head.
I love Clafouti. I have only made one with peaches but I can just taste the plum dessert... and it's beautiful.
Your new cups are, as always, charming.
Enjoy your Summer....
It's not Christmas but you have visions of Sugar Plums dancing in my head.
I love Clafouti. I have only made one with peaches but I can just taste the plum dessert... and it's beautiful.
Your new cups are, as always, charming.
Enjoy your Summer....
What lovely pictures (as always from you!), especially the first one and the one looking through your door!
The mug handles with the "check" pattern are so nice.
i love to make a plum crumble pie. unfortunately we do not have a plum tree, so i purchased them from a shop. but yesterday we went in a woodland with my two sisters and picked blueberries, which i love to do. so i made blueberry pancakes. heathers are blooming, i love to take twigs of them and make a tea with little honey. it is magical.
OH! julie! again, i am taken away by your wonderful whimsical post. How awesome you have your mother's plum tree. I love the photo of you picking them and that front door, so beautiful.
but, the feather on your plate, you are one of my favorite artists in the world.
i will gladly take some of those lovely plums off your hands!
xoxo
Your beautiful mugs steal the show here, absolutely gorgeous!
Sounds like an absolutely delightful summer day. You are the second person I've seen post about clafouti. Might have to give it a try. I do love a good custard. Creme caramel is very popular here. I didn't know that geraniums would root after you had cut them. Sadly, I've tried to have geraniums here a couple of times but they can't take the heat and dust. Have a great week. Tammy
How lovely, it reminds me of my childhood holidays spent with my Grandmother and Aunt in Belgium, it is just the kind of thing they would make. Nothing quite like homemade is there. I could easily imagine the lovely scent in your kitchen whilst you were making it.
Isabelle x
can i come walk with you to the plum tree? oh so delightful, whimsical and charming- such beauty and charm in your day...and yummy plum pie at the end of it- scrummy-licious!!...those sweet cups on your shelf, how wonderful xx
Lovely post and pics Julie, and how it makes me pine for summer and summer fruit, especially at the moment while we're in the middle of a cold blast from the Antarctic. My one and only experience of making Clafoutis didn't live up to the expectation, not so much custard more of a very thick crepe. Your result sounds much more appealing.
xx
Plum jam is lovely....as are your georgeous mugs.
What a lovely summer day you had! I would love to have a piece of that clafouti! -- and all of your pottery just looks beautiful.
I have already gone back and forth twice to look again at all the wondrous things in this post, and I will be looking again...I love it all, pottery, clafouti, gorgeous photos, and imagery! Looks like you are having a glorious summer!
The cups/mugs are a winner! Wonderful!
Hi Julie-
Delightful post. Enjoyed visiting and seeing your front door. LOVE the new pieces, especially Mr. Owl. You have out-done yourself!
And that line of heart rocks, probably found on your beach, and that little head with the bird perched on top!
A wonderful summer, to you, too, my dear!!
XOXO Liz
Hi Julie-
Delightful new post. Enjoyed visiting your house and seeing your front door. LOVE the new pieces, especially Mr. Owl...And that little row of heart rocks, probably found on the beach...and the tiny head with the bird perched on top!
A wonderful summer to you, too, my dear!!
Liz XO
I love your tall mugs ...beautiful..and those plums look amazing - we dont have them like that in the uk....we are going away on friday ...maybe we can do another swap in the fall...
OH My GOSH, I love those Cups. Beautiful. An d the Plums and cut me a pioece of that Calfouti will Ya? LOL Great post. Hugs, Robin
The Clafoutis sounds delicious and your mugs are wonderful!
Big day yesterday!! The plum cake looks wonderful! You did pick alot of plums too!!
I love your new pieces, just beautiful!!
xx Susan
Oh, how I would LOVE to come over and 'play' at your house, Julie! Perfection! Well, except maybe washing the dishes. ;)
Have a lovely one,
Zuzu
I want to move into your bucolic life and eat plums.
xox
Why,you are just plum blessed :) ....loved seeing all your sweet pictures...have fun making your jam....your dish looks yummy...never heard of it before through...have a wonderful week...blessings
OH!
Simply wonderful!
Yes clafouti is very custardie which surprised me too since I'm not a big custard fan but this looks wonderful.
merci
carolg
Hi Julie, Kary just told me that you found this book, it looks great, and I'm into canning so I think I'm going to order it!
Looks like you had a nice time at your mom's. How lucky are you to be able to pick plums right off the tree! It doesn't get any fresher than that!
I'm going to try to get that brown bread out this week! LOL!!! I haven't forgot . . . yet! LOL!!!
whew... am i ever late to this party...i LOVE it all...love seeing the plum tree with the basket...i LOVE the picture of the bunny cleaning her house...too cute !!! love the new mugs..the wreath on the door...the flowers....the plum dessert !!!
it's all so SUMMER DAY
xxx
Plums taste delicious and are good for you too - what a haul from your Mum's tree!
Love the latest treasures from your kiln Julie, especially the one that features the little bird taking nectar from honeysuckle. x
Julie you always amaze me. I won't have ripe plums for another month here..but will remember clafouti..sounds and looks wonderful. The new cups are perfect of course...I love the way you see things!
I use to plant cuttings from my grandma's geraniums when I lived in AG..here they are sadly only grown as annuals. I still plant them every year though...can't live without their pretty colors!
Have a wonderful week!
Julie your life looks sooo delicious and yes Lorrie taught a class and it was wonderful !!
Yum~ that clafouti looks good! I always think clafoutis are sort of like a puffy pancake--we used to fix them for breakfasts. These are great photos. THAT is a lot of plums. Can't wait to hear what you will do with them all.
Oh, this is a very happy post! You look so cute dusting!
xo
Dulcy
So goes another day in the life of Julie. And what a beautiful life you have. You live in "The Little Cottage of Content". And I love all of the beautiful mugs. The tiger rubrum lily mug is my favorite and, and, and, the one with the checkered handle. How cute is that!
Oh! It all looks so idyllic Julie. And those plums . . ! Our plum tree was laden again this year but the squirrels always get there before the fruit is fully ripe and strip the lot. We netted the tree once and caught half a dozen squirrels. (released them all as killing things just isn't me) Eli.
I loved today's post. Just last week I made my first clafouti ever, from an excess of peaches. Like you, I thought it would be cake like, but I was pleasantly surprised at the custard texture. Today I plan to make a nectarine clafouti and we'll eat it with some whipped cream after supper.
I love the little rabbit removing the "dust bunnies". I also loved seeing you in a photo - you don't often show yourself.
I'm off to wash clothes and to the library after that. Hope your plum jam making goes well.
Diane in North Carolina
Hello Julie...You must have been plum tired after your pickin' picnic.
Have silly tutti-fruity fun, Jody
YUM! My Grandma had a plumtree (with a swing for us grandkids) and she made plum jam every summer. Loved to eat that. Your pottery pieces are so amazing. I'd love washing dishes if my cups were that pretty!!
What a lovely post Julie, and the pudding looks just delicious...if you have some plums left i could do with some to make a jam......yummy Pixie x
The clafouti looks beautiful. My husband will love to have some as he adores plums. Can't wait to try it. I also adore the feather left behind on the plate once you tried a piece!
Your new cups are enchanting...just like these summer days! The clafouti looks so luscious that I must try making one for an afternoon tea. Thank you for the visual art that I can almost taste...ha.
xo Batty Mae
Julie~ I love peeking in your beautiful home! ~Mandy
Julie, I love to visit you. You make everyday things oh so special. And I love the cup you made with the cherries on it....beautiful! And how you used the picture of the mouse dusting. Delightful! I am having a wonderful summer. I'm knitting and gardening and reading.... and enjoying our little acre to the utmost I can, which means sitting out under the trees....making little sitting places we never had before. Hope your summer is a beautiful one also! I can't believe (but of course I do) how handy you are at rooting geraniums! Great...=)
Love your mugs and the clafoutis look nice! lovely blog you have, gloria
Love this post.. well I love all your posts Julie. How nice to be able to pick plums.. love the geraniums.. to who knew you ca just put them in the ground. I think I will try that. Oh save me a slice! xo Laura
Hey Julie, another lovely post.........
I've never made a clafouti, but I just love the word itself.
Maybe this summer when there are stone fruit ripening.
Love your mugs, the owl with the house handle is just gorgeous............
Claire :}
I love seeing your pottery, I find it to be entirely charming. And summery wonderful days and goodies, ummmm
The 5th to last photo of your pots just made my heart sing! They are so beautiful! Happy jam making! I have always loved plums. Our next door neighbour when I was little had a plum tree and he used to give us buckets full of ripe juicy fruit. You've brought back some lovely memories, thanks! x
Just discovered your blog via My Farmhouse Kitchen and it feels like I've struck gold. Can't wait to check out your fabulous pottery & read the back posts!
Blessings,
Dianne
www.mysouthernheart.com
www.campbellkidsfarm.com
Oh my gosh! I am in LOVE! In love with your blog and your pottery!!!! I am heading to look at your pottery as soon as I get off your blog. You, my dear, are super talented! Have a beautiful day! xoxo Kim
I love your new heading on the blog - really nice!
Something will be in the post to you tomorrow...
Look for it a bit later in the week, okay?
xoxo
ps. Would love to have your clafoutis recipe.......
xo
YUM!!! Do you have the recipe? Love your work Julie, your blog makes me uplifted!
Yum!Can I have the recipe? Love your work Julie, it always brings a smile to my face!
Dear Patty,
I'd love to mail you the recipie,
could you e mail me your e address?
mine is
jkwhitmore@hotmail.com
xx
j
What a fine blog I've found!
Your pottery girlfriend is WOW.
Don't let that jam take up the pottery space :)
Delightful views, I love your personal style and naturally your work.
Summer is good on the central coast!
xoxo
Lovely post and photos.
The pudding looks just delicious.
A greeting from Argentina.
Oh my goodness - what wonderful photos - the plums are beautiful and the cake looked to die for! I have never made one of those - always wanted to though! You are going to have a great time with that new canning book!
Love the mugs - they are fabulous!
Vicki
Plums and most fruits are plentiful here this year too, had just the right climate and at the right time.
For the fruit trees that is, not so much for us!
Did not try the cider, not particularly my choice but we had a hospitality gift waiting for us at the cottage of 2 large bottles of the best so will have a little when we open them.
As long as you wear an apron you are always very well dressed in "the Julie fairy tale kitchen" :)
Much love
Becky
Did I miss this?
Well it can't hurt to say again how lovely...can it?
merci
carolg
oh my, my, my. how much i have missed seeing you, reading your words, mulling over the lovelies in your bucolic life. xoxox (ps. and how touched i am to see the link and the artwork you've attached to it) xox
Oh, I'll never forget the plum tree in our yard, growing up! The smell of the fruit, the bees buzzing around the blossoms! My mom had my sister and I pick them and she made jelly every year! The most beautiful colored jelly you ever saw like a jewel on the counter--and the taste--wonderful!
Julie I love that owl glass it's divine!!!!
It is so fabulous to return from holiday and to tune into your blog. This is such an idyllic post and, seriously, I am yearning for each and every one of your cups. Are they for sale?
Hola Julie... soy de Argentina, me llamo Zulma, hermoso blog !!!! me encantan las tazas, son preciosas !!! cariños !!!
Wow, Your work is stunning! and I love the read. Cheers to you.
Oh I have that book and just made that blueberry and mint jam. Using my mint from my garden. And boy does it taste good!!
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