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September 16, 2009
By Cheryl McCord
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We have three members of the plum family at the Market this week--prunes, plums,
and pluots.
European plums, fresh or dried, with a sugar content high enough so that they can
be dried with the pit intact are referred to as prunes. Fresh prunes are characterized
by an oblong shape and dark purple skin. A common variety in our area is the Italian
Prune. The pits are “freestone” and separate easily from the meaty flesh that is
very high in sugar content. These qualities make them good for eating fresh, drying,
canning in halves, or baking. The traditional German Plum Cake, Pflaumenkuchen,
is made with fresh prune halves baked on top of a thin yeast dough and sprinkled
with cinnamon.
Japanese plums have a rounder shape and juicier flesh than their European cousins.
Plums are clingstone (the stone usually stays attached to the fruit). The Santa
Rose plum is currently available at the Market. It has a dark reddish-purple skin.
The flesh is amber tinged with red and is tangy and juicy. The Santa Rosa and other
Japanese plums can be eaten fresh, canned and made into jams and jellies.
Pluots are a plum-apricot hybrid that are 75% plum and 25% apricot. Pluots have
the smooth skin of the plum and the creamy textured flesh of the apricot. The complex
combination of the plum and apricot yields a flavor that is sweeter than either
of the two fruits alone. The Dapple Dandy at the Market has maroon mottled skin
and flesh. It is delicious eaten fresh and made into jams and jellies.
Stop by the Market. Pick up these plums and taste their distinct flavors. We also
have grapes, peaches, apples, green beans, blackberries, melons, tomatoes, pickling
cucumbers, peppers, tomatillos, summer squash and carrots.
Events at the Market:
Sep 19 - Meet the Candidates for the Kuna City Council. Since ten candidates are
running for the seats and they all cannot come on the same Saturday, we will have
the event twice—once on Sep. 19 and again on Sep 26.
Sep 26 – Meet the Candidates, session two, and Oktoberfest at the Market to wrap
up the season.
The Market is held Saturdays from 9 am to 12 noon at Sandstone Plaza in Kuna at
the west end of Main Street. For more information, contact Cheryl McCord at 922-5113
or visit the website at
www.KunaFarmersMarket.com.
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