The Humble Plum

I remember as a child what a sensation it was to bite into a
deliciously sweet, juicy plum and the scarlet flesh staining my
mouth and fingers bright red. And what a sweet and sour treat
to eat whole preserved plums with my cereal or in a crumble or
to have sweet plum jam. The humble plum offers a huge variety
– a panorama of tastes and colours - green, black, purple, blue,
red or yellow.

Plums are best known for their laxative effect, as they contain
dietary fibre, sorbitol, and isatin. Stewed prunes (dried plums)
are a traditional remedy for constipation and in general prunes
and prune juice are often used to help regulate the whole
digestive system. Sweet and sour in flavour, the purple variety
is slightly cooling while the yellow varieties tend to be neutral.
They are used to treat liver diseases and diabetes. Very nutritious,
plums are rich in minerals and trace elements including iron,
calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and manganese.
They contain Vitamins B, C, E and are low in calories, high in
carbohydrates, low in fat and high in antioxidants –
antioxidants support the immune system and aid in cellular
regeneration. Being high in oxalic acid, this can deplete
calcium in the body so it is not good for people with delicate
digestion or gastrointestinal ulcers or inflammations.

They bless us with their tasty presence from early December
to the second week of February. It is usually a short season of
2-3 weeks for each variety and all the three stores will stock
these varieties:

From early Dec: Wilson Early/red skin, yellow inside,
watery and tart flavoured – good fresh or preserved.

Mid Dec: Early Jewel/green red skin, yellow inside, watery –
good fresh or in sauces.

From Jan the bigger plums arrive: Fortune/bright jewel red
skin, red yellow inside, round heart shape, freestone, fleshy,
sweet and juicy. Black Amber/dark purple skin, amber inside,
full of flavour – good fresh, in puddings, sauces, and pies.
Luisa/pointy, gold yellow skin, yellow inside and delicious.
Billington/crimson skin, scarlet red inside, slightly tart
flavour, tasty fresh or in jams and sauces. Red Doris/red skin,
yellow inside. Black Doris/one of the most popular plums.
Dark red skin, blood red inside, free releasing stone, juicy
tangy and sweet. Great fresh or for stewing and bottling. Stays
whole while cooking. Greengage/is the sweetest plum (like
honey) green skin and yellow inside.

Last in season is the Omega/blood red skin, dark red inside,
and pointy. Fleshy, very juicy and sweet – great for bottling,
freezing, in sauces or jams. Oh the variety yum yum!
Best to keep plums in the fridge and take a few out at a time
on the bench to ripen. Enjoy!