Last summer, our friend Angel took us for a ride to see all of the fresh fruit he so proudly had grown at his farm. Apples, pears, peaches, and plums! I had never picked plums before and I admired all the trees laden with these colorful fruits. There were bright mauve to almost black varieties, as well as powdery purple Stanleys. We sampled several and they were each different and so succulent! We came home with a big box of them and I still remember the sweet aroma that wafted through our car as we drove back home. I gained a special appreciation for these flavorful fruits that day, as I do any fruit that I’ve picked myself. Each juicy bite takes me back to our day in the orchard…
Selecting and Storing
- Select plums that are plump, fresh, aromatic and yield to slight pressure.
- Mature plums soften first near the tip.
- You can ripen plums by leaving them out at room temperature, stem down or in a paper bag for a few days. Do not refrigerate plums until they are completely ripe.
- They can be refrigerated for a few days, but they are best tasting and juiciest at room temperature.
- Stanley plums are sweetest when they are almost ready to shrivel up!
|
|
Fun Facts
- Michigan is the fourth largest producer of plums in the nation.
- Stanley and Damson plums are the most popular varieties grown in Michigan. The plum is a member of the Prunus family, which includes cherries, apricots and almonds.
- Most plums today are of Japanese origin, including the popular Santa Rosa variety. The Stanley “prune” plums are a European variety.
|
| |
|
|
Nutritional Information:
- They are a good source of potassium, Vitamin A and C.
- One medium sized plum has about 40 calories.
- The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture ranks plums near the top of 24 other fresh fruits based on their high levels of antioxidants
|
|
Recipes:
|
For a list of farms in your area and more recipes, visit www.localdifference.org.
Taste the Local Difference is a project of the Michigan Land Use Institute’s Entrepreneurial Agriculture Project, which works to grow jobs, save farmland, and build healthier communities with food that’s thousands of miles fresher.
Sources/Links:
Michigan Department of Agriculture
Whole Foods Market
Environmental Nutrition
www.fruitsandveggiesguru.com
