Plum Body, August 29, 2005

When my sister was three years old, she loved plums. Dad called her the “plum body.” She would go to the oven and pull down the small, bottom door that held the pots and pans. She carefully spread out a napkin on her makeshift bench, put her plum directly in the center of the napkin, and began her picnic. By the time she was done, the front of her overalls would be drenched in plum juice and her face smeared with fruit delight. Plum after plum met their fate this way as well as popcorn, granola bars and bowls of Cheerios without milk. The picnic tradition continued until the day when my dad noticed a small corn stalk growing up the back of the stove. Bending down to look under the appliance, he realized that my three-year-old sister had planted the plum pits and kernels of popcorn in the decade long collection of sediment beneath our oven. From that day forward, picnics were limited to the back yard.

Betty Anne Plum

You have probably noticed that plums come from two main color families, red and purple. Japanese plums, such as the locally loved Santa Rosa and this weeks plum – the Betty Anne – have a reddish exterior color. European plums, like the Friar, have dark purple skin. The Betty Anne is a wonderful piece of fruit. I have said before that plums could be eaten firm or soft. Although many disagree with me, I like my plums firm. If you bite into the Betty Anne and take time to taste the fruit on your tongue fully before swallowing it, you may pick up hints of cherry flavor amongst sugary and woody notes. This plum is sweeter than the musky tasting, early season Japanese varieties. Enjoy these wonderful end of summer fruits while you can. With just about a month until the first day of autumn, we are getting closer to the end of the season.

Enjoy! Feel free to contact me at chiefbanana@fruitguys.com or 1-877-FRUIT-ME – Chris Mittelstaedt