ALL ABOUT PLUMS

This information first appeared in my book
EAT FRESH, STAY HEALTHY. For in depth articles about fruits and vegetables, with recipes, you can subscribe to my free monthly newsletter.

With recipes for
Crepes With Spicy Plum Jam
Pan-Roasted Cornish Hens With Italian Plums
Plum Kuchen
Plums Poached In Port

For centuries the plum has been associated with things that are choice or desirable or perhaps a reward whether expected or unexpected. We congratulate someone who got a “plum” job, which the dictionary says is “a well-paying job requiring little work.” For many, however, a plum job, role (for an actor) or assignment may require considerable work but carries with it prestige or financial rewards, or both. A  “political plum” may be a reward bestowed on an important supporter by a grateful, recently elected politician. And the British colloquial description of something as “plummy” means that something is coveted.

The connection between plum and goodness can be traced to the Mother Goose nursery rhyme of little Jack Horner who sat in the corner and pulled a plum out of Christmas pie, exclaiming, “What a good boy am I!”

This rhyme has some basis in history, according “Eatioms” by John D. Jacobson (Laurel, 1993). Legend has it that there was a real Jack Horner, whose name was actually Thomas. In the 16th century, the bishop of Glastonbury Cathedral gave Horner 12 deeds to valuable properties to present to King Henry VIII. The deeds, a gift from the bishop to the king, were placed in a large Christmas pie for safe keeping. On his way to London, the greedy and curious Horner opened the crust and removed one of the deeds, the ‘plum” he kept for himself.

HISTORY

A member of the rose family, the plum is related to the peach and the nectarine, all of which are stone fruit or botanically speaking, drupes, that is, fruit with soft flesh surrounding a seed and covered with skin. The plum’s genealogy can be traced along two lines. The common European plum such as the blue plum or the prune plum (and including the Damson plum named for the city of Damascus) can be traced to the Caucasus region between the Caspian and Black Seas before the time of Christ. These plums then spread to the Mediterranean and the rest of Europe.

The Japanese plum had its origins in China, also more than 2000 years ago. The Chinese considered the wild plum a delicacy, but this Asian plum did not fully develop until it found a home in Japan some 300 years ago. In the 19th century, when the  Japanese began immigrating to the United States and settling in California, they brought their plums with them.

There are also native American plums, none of which are significant commercially. Perhaps the most familiar one is the sloe which goes into the production of sloe gin, a distilled spirit popular in the 50s and early 60s, especially for coming-of-age drinkers. A small beach or maritime plum may also be found occasionally in the fall.

Luther Burbank, the famous American plant breeder, purchased some plum trees in Japan in the late 1800s. As a result of experiments he performed near his home in Santa Rosa, California, a number of modern plum varieties were developed, most notably the Santa Rosa plum. Today, over 200 varieties of plums are raised in California.

WHERE GROWN

About 90 percent of the plums consumed in the United States are grown in California, many of them in the San Joaquin Valley in the central part of the state. Most of these are of the Japanese variety. Plums are also grown in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Michigan and New York.

Chile produces both European and Japanese style plums, with the latter about twice as prominent. About 40 percent of its exports go to the United States. Other large producing plum countries include Germany, Turkey and Japan as well as Yugoslavia, noted for its fiery plum brandy called slivovitz.

VARIETIES

Plums are divided into two broad categories, Japanese plums and European plums or prunes.  The Japanese plum is eaten fresh, canned or put into jams and jellies. If dried with the pit intact, it will ferment rather than dry like a prune.

European plums are often called prunes because they can be dried without their pits being removed. In fact, that’s the way most people see these plums. But prunes can also be eaten fresh or used fresh in cooking.  In an effort to avoid some of the confusion, the produce industry has tried to label these fresh prunes as purple plums, but you may also see them as prune plums and  prunes as well as European plums.

SEASONS

Plums begin arriving in May and continue through Thanksgiving. The peak period for plums is mid-June through mid-August with heaviest supplies in mid July. Chilean fruit starts arriving in November and continues into April. Prune plums from the Northwest start in early August and run through most of September.

SELECTION, HANDLING & STORAGE

Plums should show good color for their variety with a slight firmness to light softness. Avoid fruit that is hard or very soft, poorly colored or with shriveling, bruises or breaks in the skin.

Plums are generally picked mature but not fully ripe. Ripen them at room temperature, between 51 and 77 degrees (ideally 64), speeded up by being placed in a paper bag with ethylene-producing fruits such as a banana, apple or pear. They are ready when they give off a gentle, sweet plum aroma and they are soft to the touch.

Store ripe plums at very cool temperatures - as low as 32 degrees - in the refrigerator, away from ethylene producing foods that may ripen them further.

NUTRITION

A serving of two medium plums (132 grams, about 4.5 ounces) contains 17 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram each of dietary fiber, protein and fat, 9% of the RDA for vitamin A and 20% for vitamin C.

Though not as potent as dried prunes, fresh plums work well as a laxative. Plums also contain antibacterial and antiviral compounds.

YIELD

About 6 medium-size Japanese plums (a dozen or so European) will equal a pound. A pound of fresh plums yields about 21/2 cups sliced, 2 cups diced or 13/4 cups pureed

TIP

The best way to remember the distinction between the prune and the plum is with this saying: “A prune is always a plum, but a plum is not always a prune.”

PREPARATION

You can separate the two halves of a freestone plum by cutting along the seam to the pit, then twisting each half in opposite directions. Clingstone plums (those whose flesh clings to the pit) are best prepared by cutting wedges from the skin to the pit until the whole plum has been cut up.

Plums take reasonably well to freezing. Halve and pit, put on trays and freeze until solid. Then put into freezer-safe bags.

Plums are generally not peeled because the skins add a contrasting tartness to the usually sweet flesh. However, you can peel plums by dropping them in boiling water for 30 seconds or so (depending on the number of plums you’re doing at one time) and then chilling the fruit in ice water. The skins will slip off like those of peaches or tomatoes done in a similar fashion.

Aside from canning, most people don’t cook with plums. But plums can be delicious with, for example, poultry and pork, either sautéed or baked. They’re delicious poached, for dessert or breakfast. And they go well in stuffings and cakes. Plums match up well with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, lemon or orange and with orange liqueurs, brandy or Port.

CREPES WITH SPICY PLUM JAM

Crepes are a great vehicle for many forms of fruit, whether cooked slices, purees, butters or jams. A nice change of pace for dessert or Sunday brunch.

4 cups pitted and diced purple or red-skinned plums
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground all-spice
2 tablespoons brandy
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon canola oil
Butter-flavor spray
Powdered sugar

1)Put the plums, sugar, lemon juice, allspice and brandy in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Lower heat to medium and cook 20 to 25 minutes or until thickened. (It will thicken more as it cools to room temperature.)

2)While the jam cools, combine the eggs, sugar and salt with a whisk in a mixing bowl. Stir in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Then add the skim milk and oil.

3)Spray a well-seasoned 7 or 8-inch cast iron skillet or omelet pan with butter-flavor spray. Put over medium heat. When hot, ladle in just enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan - about 3 tablespoons. Then tilt the pan and swirl to cover the entire surface. (If you pour too much in, you can pour out the excess). Cook about 45 seconds on one side and flip over using a spatula to help loosen. Cook about 30 seconds on the other side.

4)Stack crepes on a platter, separating them with sheets of waxed paper. Crepes can be refrigerated or frozen if not used immediately. You should have about 12 crepes.

5)To serve, warm crepes if necessary and spread a tablespoon of jam in the center of each crepe, fold over once and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow 2 crepes per person. (There will be extra jam.) Serves 6.

Sam’s Cooking Tip: Don’t be discouraged if the first few crepes stick or get torn and have to be discarded. Spray the pan again as needed and keep on plugging. As you get good at this, you’ll be able to  turn the crepes in the pan with your fingers.

PAN-ROASTED CORNISH HENS WITH ITALIAN PLUMS

This is not the kind of sickeningly sweet kind of plum sauce you might find in cheap Chinese restaurants. In fact it’s remarkably unsweet, though delicious.

2 Cornish hens, each about 11/4 to 11/2 pounds
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons clarified butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
12 Italian plums, halved lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon each, cinnamon and nutmeg
1/3 cup brandy
1/2 cup chicken stock mixed with 1 teaspoon arrowroot

1)Cut hens in half at the breast bone. Remove skin and wing tips. Flatten by covering with foil and pounding a few times with the side of a large clever or bottom of a skillet. Season with salt and pepper.

2)Put butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When fat is hot, put hen halves in, meaty side down. Brown well, about 10 to 12 minutes.

3)Turn over, add shallots and plums. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and additional salt and pepper. Cook, covered, 10 to 12 minutes. (Thigh meat should be firm and juices run clear when pricked.) Uncover and add brandy. Cook a few minutes, watching out for any flames.

4)Remove hens to a platter. Add the chicken stock mixed with arrow root to the skillet. Reduce until lightly thickened, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour sauce and plums over Cornish hens. Serves 4.

Sam’s Cooking Tip: Most people probably don’t have a skillet large enough to hold all the Cornish hens. But this recipe works easily with two smaller skillets. It’s important not to crowd the meat into the pan; otherwise it will steam and not brown properly. 

PLUM KUCHEN

Kuchen is an old-fashioned dessert which also doubles as a coffee cake. This one is more the former than the latter. But it would go nicely with afternoon tea.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk or skim milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter-flavor spray
1/4 cup sliced almonds
4 medium to large plums, about 1 pound total
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup spicy plum jam from preceding recipe

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add butter with a pastry blender or large fork until texture resembles coarse meal.

2) Combine egg with buttermilk and vanilla extract. Stir into flour mixture and mix just until combined. Spread into the bottom of an 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan sprayed with butter flavor spray. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

3) Halve plums, lengthwise and cut each half into 4 slices. Arrange plum slices on batter in rows. Spray with butter flavor spray. Mix cinnamon with remaining tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle onto plums. Bake in the middle of the oven 30 minutes or until plums are tender.

4) Meanwhile, prepare glaze by heating plum jam in a small pan or in a microwave oven until it begins to boil. Brush on top of kuchen when comes out of the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.

Sam’s Cooking Tip: This dish can also be made in an equivalent size round cake pan. If using a round pan you can make a ring or circle pattern with the plums. Peaches and nectarines would also make a good kuchen.

PLUMS POACHED IN PORT

Plums take well to poaching and make a marvelous fat-free breakfast dish. Or try them as a simple dessert by themselves or over fat-free frozen yogurt.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Port
1 cinnamon stick
12 whole peppercorns
3 quarter-size slices of fresh ginger
1 pound small, ripe but firm European-type purple plums

1) In a large saucepan, combine sugar, Port, cinnamon stick, pepper corns, ginger and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce to a simmer.

2) Prick the plums a few times with the sharp tip of a paring knife Add to the saucepan and cook gently about 10 minutes or until plums are very tender but not falling apart.

3) Remove plums to a shallow bowl. Return saucepan to stove and reduce cooking liquid by half over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Pour strained liquid over plums and cool to room temperature. Serves 4.

Sam’s Cooking Tip: Pricking the skin of plums helps to prevent bursting during the cooking process.