Plum

What if little Jack Horner never pulled a plum from his Christmas pie? What if it was a raisin? It's possible. According to Alan Davidson's Penguin Companion to Food, the word "plum" was used to describe virtually any dried fruit (including raisins) during the Middle Ages, the period when the rhyme originated. The juicy plum is easier to distinguish these days, but it still comes in many shapes and colors. According to worldshealthiestfoods.org, the plum (in season from May through October)

Even with all the warning, I just can't see to get up to speed with the holidays. Way back around Halloween when the first hints of Christmas decorations were sprouting like too-early crocuses poking through a February snow, I looked around and figured there was plenty of time. My kids still had uneaten candy from trick or treating. Thanksgiving, which I swear someone moved so it fell the week after Halloween this year, was fast upon me and there was a lot of cooking and cleaning to do. By now Christmas hype was, as it always is at Thanksgiving, turned up to full volume.

On May 17, 2005, JOHN W. "JP/Indian John", beloved son of Angela C. and the late Frank J. Plum 5th; partner of Darlene Fefel; loving father of Wes Plum, Stacy Fefel and Krystal Fefel; devoted grandfather of Alexus Fefel; also survived by four sisters and predeceased by one brother. Memorial Services to be held at a later date. Memorial donations my be made to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Inquiries may be directed to Hubbard Funeral Home Inc., 410-242-3300.

King and Crusader made his first foray into his native state a winning one when he upset eight other Maryland-bred 2-year-olds in the $75,000 Maryland Juvenile Championship on Saturday's closing-day card at Laurel Park. Rick Dutrow trains the son of Lion Heart, who was ridden for the first time by Victor Santiago . They surrendered the front to even-money favorite Glib in midstretch, then reclaimed the lead near the wire to win by 11/4 lengths in 1 minute, 32.09 seconds for the 71/2-furlong distance.

Cindy McGrew of Herminie, Pa., wrote asking for help in finding a "German recipe for plum strudel. I've looked in all the books I can find and haven't seen anything that even looks similar. I remember growing up and watching a very dear family friend make this dish using plums, my favorite, but peaches or apples could be used." Edna V. Ullman of Baltimore responded with a recipe that tester Laura Reiley chose. It came from McCall's magazine, August 1975. "Instead of the dough I used crescent-roll dough, making it flaky," Ullman said.

A quick way to make a delicious plum tart: Puff pastry is rolled and shaped into a free-standing pastry shell, then filled with a mixture of almond paste, eggs, lemon juice and zest, and flour. The tart is topped with plum wedges and baked until the crust is golden brown.Plum-almond tartMakes 6 to 8 servings1 (about 9 3/4 -by-9-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted (see note)1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened1/2 cup (4 ounces) almond paste, broken into chunks1 tablespoon granulated sugar1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (grated color portion of rind)

POLICE LOG* Ellicott City: 3400 block of Plum Tree Drive: An unlocked, green 21-speed boys' mountain bike valued at $650 was stolen from an apartment balcony sometime between Nov. 4 and Friday.

The World Wide Web address for Plum Blossom Kimono, which sells vintage clothing, was incorrectly listed in Saturday's Today sections. The correct address is: http: //www.charm.net/kimonoPub Date: 9/10/96

DOROTHY SWEETEN (nee Grandy), formerly of Ellicott City, died in Solomons, MD on April 1, 2005. Beloved wife of H. Donald Sweeten and mother of Jeffrey D. Sweeten of Rochelle, IL and Jon G. Sweeten of Santa Monica, CA; grandmother of Daniel and Matthew Sweeten of Westmont, ILA Service to be held at 11 A.M. on Saturday, April 9 at Saint Nicholas Lutheran Church, Plum Point Road, Huntingtown, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Asbury-Solomons Benevolent...

Charles H. Stein, 76, Co-founder, chairman and chief executive of the Hardwicke Cos., which built Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., and operated well-known restaurants such as Tavern on the Green and Maxwell's Plum in Manhattan, died Oct. 10 of respiratory failure in Miami Beach, Fla.

With the 100-degree temperatures in June, it’s hard to remember the snows of recent winters. Stumps of our ‘foster’ hollies, ready to be removed when new trees are planted, remind me every time I drag the hose up our driveway.   Across the street at the Roland Park Woman’s Club, snow-damaged arborvitaes also had to come down this year. That exposed an old chain-link fence, one of many that sprang up in the neighborhood during the 1960’s. When I mentioned the newly exposed eyesore to Karen Offutt, who chairs the club’s grounds committee, she immediately took action.

There is that marvelous recruiting base that runs the length of the Baltimore-Washington corridor. There is the stunning arena, the Comcast Center, where kids — young men — get to play in a pro setting. Now there is the tradition that Gary Williams carved out over 22 seasons, the undeniable vitality of a top tier Division I program resurrected to new heights by the coach who came back home to do it. What's not to like about Maryland basketball? "When I take the pulse around college basketball," ESPN analyst Dave Telep said, "I think this is one job that can be dangerous to a lot of people.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Although it came as no real surprise when word leaked out Friday morning that Uncle Mo, the juvenile champion, would be scratched from the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, it was yet another reminder of just how fragile thoroughbred horses truly are. Rumors had been swirling around the track all week that trainer Todd Pletcher would never send him to the gate. Uncle Mo was undefeated as a 2-year-old, but a third place finish three weeks ago at the Wood Memorial sparked concerns that something wasn't right.

If Baltimore had a pop-culture Mount Rushmore, Barry Levinson, John Waters and David Simon would be on it. In a few months, it might be time to start clearing room for one more filmmaker. On April 8, Pikesville-bred TV comedy whiz Jason Winer makes his big-screen debut with a star-studded production of a beloved old movie: "Arthur. " The trade journal Variety has already called him "One of the top ten directors to watch. " 2010 was a powerhouse year for Winer. He executive-produced the Emmy-winning ABC comedy "Modern Family" and directed every other episode in the first season.

Darlene Lanford from New Market, Tenn., was looking for a recipe for what she called Plum Nut Bread Pudding. She said that when she was a child, her mother used to take her to a store in her hometown called "Cresses"; this dish was a favorite of hers and her mother's that was served at the restaurant in the basement of the store. This was not a traditional English plum pudding but rather a bread pudding that was made with plums. After some searching, I located a recipe for a plum bread pudding on a food blog written by Erica Penzer Kerekes from Los Angeles (inericaskitchen.

Walter Fullwood strode up to the window of the Snowball Stand in Woodstock on a recent, steamy afternoon and handed over a bag of four "empties" before placing his carryout order. One of the stand's original customers, he has made weekly summer pilgrimages from his Ellicott City home of 42 years to the nearby rural spot since it opened in 1975. He has also made a habit of returning the cardboard containers as a courtesy. Fullwood requested four of the 101 varieties of the tasty treat Tuesday, including chocolate with a center of marshmallow for his wife, Marilyn, and plain vanilla for Winston, their 2-year-old Australian shepherd.

On July 21, 2006, MICHAEL F. O'BRADEN; beloved husband of Janet Lee O'Braden (nee Mitchell); devoted son of Thelma O'Braden and the late Richard O'Braden'; devoted step-father of Sherri Hart and Lynda Mitchell; brother of Susan Plum and Kathleen Greene. Memorial Services to be held at Holy Nativity Lutheran Church.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Thursday the appointment of Stanley Plumly to be Maryland's ninth poet laureate, an honorary position that entails staging public readings around the state. Plumly, 70, founded the master of fine arts program in creative writing at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he's a professor. He is the author of nine books of poetry, including "Old Heart," which won the Los Angeles Times Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Most recently, he wrote "Posthumous Keats," a "personal biography" of poet John Keats.