Sour-Plum Jam

Arasiya are small greenish-purple plums native to Gaza. They are too sour to be enjoyed fresh, so they are used to make a much-loved jam, very thick and tart. For Gazan Palestinians in diaspora, a jar of arasiya jam is a treasured gift. With tree populations (located mostly in the hills along Gaza’s border) quickly dwindling due to systematic Israeli land clearing, the plums are becoming a costly rarity. Our attempt to procure these plums and cook them into jam in the summer o