My kids are teenagers (my youngest turns 13 tomorrow!) and they very rarely go to the grocery store with me. It doesn’t seem that long ago when they were ALWAYS with me. One in the shopping cart and one glued to my hip. I remember the few times I’d shop by myself and it felt like such a luxury.

Well every now and then I can talk one of them into joining me on a trip to the store. Now it’s a gift to spend that kind of time with them. Funny the way it is. Anyway, recently Eli and I were checking out the produce area and he asked if we could get some organic plums. Hmmmmm…YES!!! They were the best plums ever and I decided to play with a few sorbet ideas.

I made two different kinds, using two different methods: Green Cardamom Plum Sorbet and Hibiscus Plum Sorbet. I like them both. They’re really refreshing and not too sweet. The cardamom version I made by placing the spiced plum puree directly into the freezer and stirring it every few hours. The hibiscus version I made using my electric ice cream maker. If you want to serve it immediately, I would go with the ice cream maker. The texture was really smooth. They both became a little icy after freezing overnight. But I don’t really mind the icy texture; it’s kind of like a granita. Which on a hot summer day is pretty much delightful.

Green Cardamom Plum Sorbet

5 organic plums, about 1lb

2+ Tbsp coconut water

6 green cardamom pods, split open, black seeds removed or 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp pure almond extract

1 Tbsp honey or other liquid sweetener

1 Tbsp amaretto (optional)

Grind cardamom seeds in a spice grinder or use ground cardamom. Place all ingredients, including ground cardamom in blender and puree. Add more coconut water if puree seems too thick. Place in freezer safe container and freeze until solid, stirring every hour or so. Or place puree in electric ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Hibiscus Plum Sorbet

1 lb organic plums

1 cup hibiscus tea, cold

1 tsp pure vanilla

3 tsp coconut palm sugar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon balm or mint, minced

Place plums and vanilla in blender and puree. Add hibiscus tea to puree. You don’t want puree to be too thick or too thin, so you may not use all of the tea. Add sugar and lemon balm and puree again. Taste and adjust sugar to your taste. Process in electric ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions or freeze and stir as described above.

Once frozen, let sit at room temperature to soften before serving.