You may have been seeing plums in stores for a month or so, now, but our plums – Empress Plums from Hale Groves – reach their peak in September.
Before we focus on just how special Empress Plums are, we’ll answer a few questions about plums in general:
If you’re looking to enjoy this fruit at its most flavorful, you should know that plum season is May through October, and seasonality matters with this juicy little number. Their blend of sweet and sour hits best within that late summer/early fall window, which is also when you’ll see sales surging and prices peaking.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Simply-Recipes-Plum-Guide--LEAD-7-d738bebb5785456280174b158dfc98a6.jpg)
What is a Plum?
Like peaches, cherries, nectarines and apricots, plums are drupes, or stone fruits.
Drupes grow on trees. A drupe is a fleshy fruit containing a single hard pit or “stone” that holds the fruit tree’s seed. Drupes don’t section like citrus fruits, but they usually have a vertical seam along one side that stretches from the stem end to the bottom of the fruit. When removing the stone from a drupe, it’s best to slice along this seam to separate the fruit in half.
Plum trees are among the earliest fruit trees to be domesticated. They are believed to have originated in the mountains of Eastern Europe and Asia. Plums are deciduous trees (meaning they lose their leaves at the end of the growing season, unlike evergreens). They’re attractive and hardy, meaning they’re often used as ornamentals as well as fruit providers and can grow in a broad range of climates around the world (including the United States, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Japan, and China)
There are a wide variety of plums available, but all varieties feature small-to-medium fruits with an oval-to-round shape and smooth, thin, waxy skins that come in shades of red, black, yellow, blue or green, depending on the variety. Our Empress Plums are small with bluish-purple skins and firm, sweet-tart yellow flesh. The flesh is juicy and can be used in a variety of fresh and cooked applications.
Are Plums Good for You?
It’s a pity Empress Plums aren’t available year-round, because they’re highly nutritious – in fact, they’re a superfood. Packed with dietary fiber (which supports a healthy digestive system), plums are also rich in vitamins A, B, C, D and K as well as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and phytonutrients.
Studies show that a diet that includes plums can help battle constipation, regulate your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke. The antioxidants in plums have been shown to help fight cancer, keep your skin healthy and glowing, and help prevent colds and viruses. Eating a plum after a workout has even been shown to help you recover faster.
Plums: History and Seasonality
FAQ
What is the best month for plums?
Can you buy plums in winter?
Why are plums hard to find?
What is the best tasting plum?
Are plums in season?
hey are so many colors of plums – black, purple, red, yellow, and everything in between. Plums are also the only fruit of those three that I haven’t written about when they are in season. So I thought it was about time! Since stone fruit is typically only good when it’s in season. So you have to know when the season begins and ends.
When is the best time to eat plums?
Plums are excellent when they are in season. It is, therefore, the best time to spoil yourself with a couple of them. In as much as they can be found in grocery stores all year round, most of the exceptional varieties and the sweetest ones can only be found in season.
Where are plums grown?
The most common species are European (Prune Plums) and Japanese varieties. They are grown in California, the country’s largest producer of fruit on a commercial scale. California’s peak season is also a couple of months longer than the average season for most states.
When are Stanley plums available?
Stanley plums are available right around the start of apple season in September. Because we import a lot of fruit in this country, you can find plums in the store year round. The plums you tend to find in the winter are from Chile.