By Nadia Navarrete-Tindall

Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, the Specialty Crops Director at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO, is an advisor to the Grow Native! program, and owns Native Plants and More, a consultation business. She lives in Columbia, MO and is originally from El Salvador.

Shrub or a small tree. It spreads from roots and may form thickets. Suckers can be controlled with fire or mowing. The fragrant flowers are in clusters with five white petals. The leaves are alternate, ovate, with long-pointed tips. The fruit is red to yellow and ball-shaped (1” diameter). It grows in full to partial sunlight on fertile loamy soil to marginal soils. It can be found along wooded areas, fence rows and pastures. It can be propagated from seed or cuttings.

Wild plum provides food and cover for wildlife. It is consumed by quail and many other songbirds and mammals.

It is used to produce superb jellies and other preserves.

The edible fruit matures from July to September. It can be consumed raw or cooked. 

Sweet Potato Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup yogurt, Greek style

1 teaspoon butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups sweet potato, peeled, boiled and mashed (can substitute with 1 cup persimmon pulp and 1 cup mashed sweet potato)

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup native non-hybrid pecans

1/4 teaspoon minced crystallized ginger (optional)

1/4 cup wild plum jam 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350oF. Grease cookie sheets with Canola oil.

2. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, butter, yogurt, eggs and sweet potato. Add dry ingredients to this mix. Fold in crystallized nuts and ginger.

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, one inch apart, onto cookie sheet. Drop 1/4 teaspoonful of wild plum jam on top of each cookie.

4. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Number of servings: eight dozen (96) small cookies.

Cookies can be kept frozen in air-tight containers.